Page 4 - Time to DeLiver: Getting a Grip on HE report 2015

Executive Summary

Chronic advanced liver disease (often and reducing the risk of hospitalisation.
called cirrhosis) results from long-term injury Guidelines from The European Association
to the liver with hepatic encephalopathy for the Study of the Liver (EASL) and the
being a significant complication. Hepatic American Association for the Study of Liver
encephalopathy occurs in up to 40% of Diseases (AASLD) underline the need for
people with advanced chronic liver disease1 coordinated care, so that everyone involved
and affects up to 200,000 people in Europe. can understand how best to manage hepatic
What’s more, hepatic encephalopathy is encephalopathy in patients and prevent them
associated with a poor prognosis and large being forced to stay in hospital unnecessarily.
numbers of people will die from the condition. There are 10 calls to action in total in this
The symptoms of hepatic encephalopathy are report, ranging from a call on healthcare
often subtle and easily missed, meaning that providers, policy makers and patient
the condition is generally under-diagnosed. organisations to work together to properly
Healthcare providers who are not specialists in assess the impact of hepatic encephalopathy
liver disease may only occasionally encounter on patients and others, to calling for
patients with advanced chronic liver disease comprehensive training and education to
or hepatic encephalopathy. Furthermore, they ensure healthcare professionals can identify
may not identify hepatic encephalopathy as a the symptoms of hepatic encephalopathy and
possible cause of symptoms. take appropriate action.

Hepatic encephalopathy interferes with
the way a person interacts socially, their
sense of well-being and many report feeling
stigmatised by their disease. This may lead
to an unintentional barrier preventing patients
and their caregivers accessing healthcare
and support services. It is for this reason
that this report makes a number of calls to
action, including simplified guidelines which
define what care and support for people with
hepatic encephalopathy should look like.
The guidance has to be easily applicable
and useable in clinical practice by a range of
healthcare professionals. Addressing these
barriers would not only improve the lives of
patients, but also those of their families and
caregivers. Importantly, effective diagnosis
and treatment of hepatic encephalopathy can
improve outcomes by maintaining remission

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