What is hepatic encephalopathy?

Will worsen situatio: Hepatic encephalopathy is a serious symptom of liver failure and needs to be treated very seriously. Patients with this condition have a disturbance in their mental status which causes confusion, agitation, or severe depression. Continuing to consume alcohol or other liver-toxic substances will worsen the situation and ultimately lead to decompensated liver failure and death.

Altered mental statu: Disturbance of consciousness from confusion to coma as a result of liver failure usually due to high levels of serum ammonia.

Hepatic encephalopat: Hepatic encephalopathy is a condition of confusion or altered alertness due to inhibition of brain function. It is believed that this is related to insufficient metabolism of the liver and build up of chemicals that can be transmitted to the brain by the blood stream. In some cases, an elevated blood ammonia level correlates with this condition, but not always, and the role of ammonia is debated.