Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Hepatic encephalopathy

Ammonia is instrumental in the pathogenesis. It’s not just a marker.

Ammonia causes astrocyte swelling and alterations in neurotransmitter metabolism.

Cytokines cause astrocyte swelling, explaining the role of infection in precipitating HE.

Those are some of the interesting points in a review published in Seminars in Liver Disease, one of the better reviews I’ve seen on the subject.

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