Increased risk of cognitive impairment in cirrhotic patients with bacterial infections

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Bacterial infection increased cognitive impairment among cirrhotic patients

Patients with cirrhosis who developed bacterial infection were at significantly increased risk for cognitive impairment, according to recent results...
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Journal of Hepatology

Increased risk of cognitive impairment in cirrhotic patients with bacterial infections

Received 27 November 2012; received in revised form 2 March 2013; accepted 6 March 2013. published online 25 March 2013.

Accepted Manuscript
Abstract
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Abstract
Background & aims

A causal relationship between infection, systemic inflammation and hepatic encephalopathy (HE) has been suggested in cirrhosis. No study, however, has specifically examined, in cirrhotic patients with infection, the complete pattern of clinical and subclinical cognitive alterations and its reversibility after the resolution. Our investigation was aimed at describing the characteristics of cognitive impairment in hospitalized cirrhotic patients, in comparison with patients without liver disease, with and without infection.

Methods
One-hundred and fifty cirrhotic patients were prospectively enrolled. Eighty-one patients without liver disease constituted the control group. Bacterial infections and sepsis were actively searched in all patients independently of their clinical evidence at entry. Neurological and psychometric assessment was performed at admission and in case of nosocomial infection. The patients were re-evaluated after the resolution of the infection and 3 months later.

Results
Cognitive impairment (overt or subclinical) was recorded in 42% of cirrhotics without infection, in 79% with infection without SIRS and in 90% with sepsis. The impairment was only subclinical in controls and occurred only in patients with sepsis (42%). Multivariate analysis selected infection as the only independent predictor of cognitive impairment (OR 9.5; 95% CI 3.5-26.2; p=0.00001) in cirrhosis. The subclinical alterations detected by psychometric tests were also strongly related to the infectious episode and reversible after its resolution.

Conclusions
Infections are associated with a worse cognitive impairment in cirrhotics compared to patients without liver disease. The search and treatment of infections is crucial to ameliorate both clinical and subclinical cognitive impairment of cirrhotic patients.