NUTRITIVE THERAPY OF HEPATIC ENCEPHALOPATHY AS A COMPLICATION OF LIVER CIRRHOSIS

Abstract

Hepatic encephalopathy is a complication of liver cirrhosis and is defined as a neuropsychiatric disease, with a reversibile character. Besides classical ways of therapy, an increasing importance is attached to nutritional therapy that is an effective prevention of the onset and leads to an ease of symptoms in hepathic encephalopathy that already exists. After the patient's nutritional status evaluation, the prescription of diet that includes adequate protein, calories and vitamins is assessed. The greatest importance is attached to the zinc intake as well as branched chain amino acids (BCAA therapy) supplementation. It is believed that further development of science in terms of nutrigenomics and nutrigenetics will give detailed guidance on further developments since the possibility of clinical investigation in these patients is limited.

Keywords

• hepatic encephalopathy
• nutritional status
• nutritional therapy
• liver cirrhosis.