Minimal Encephalopathy in HHT Patients with Vascular Malformations
Author Information
Author(s): Villanueva B., Cañabate A., Torres-Iglesias R., Cerdà P., Gamundí E., Ordi Q., Alba E., Sanz-Astier L. A., Iriarte A., Ribas J., Castellote J., Pintó X.
Primary Institution: Hospital Universitari Bellvitge
Hypothesis
What is the prevalence and health impact of minimal hepatic encephalopathy (mHE) in patients with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) with and without portosystemic vascular malformations (PSM)?
Conclusion
HHT patients with PSM showed higher attention difficulties than HHT controls, though both groups exhibited signs of minimal hepatic encephalopathy.
Supporting Evidence
- Patients with PSM showed a higher prevalence of attention disturbances (50% vs. 11.1%).
- 22.2% of PSM patients reported falls in the last 12 months compared to 5.6% of controls.
- 50% of PSM patients reported sleep disorders compared to 16.7% of controls.
Takeaway
This study found that patients with a specific type of blood vessel malformation related to a rare disease had more trouble paying attention than those without it.
Methodology
A cross-sectional observational study comparing neuropsychological tests between HHT patients with and without PSM.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to the study being conducted at a specialized center with expert radiologists.
Limitations
The study is limited by its small sample size and the lack of objective tests for diagnosing mHE.
Participant Demographics
77.8% of participants were women with a mean age of 64.1 years.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.027
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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