I think a lot of people who have experienced server Liver Disease will know that Hepatic Encephalopathy (HE), is a terrible condition to not only have, but to try and live with too. In my opinion, a lot of GP’s don’t give this condition the medical attention it deserves.
Families and loved ones don’t always understand the emotional turmoil that can unfold with this condition. In my case, it was just a case of, “Take this medicine three times a day”. Nothing as to the cause or of the long term prognosis was ever explained to me, or my wife. My confusions and frustrations would often boil over into a torrent of verbal abuse. Only through my own learnings of this condition was I able to fully understand what was going on. I have also now learnt that treatment of this condition varies from region to region. I was prescribed lactulose, while others are prescribed Lactulose and Rifaximin, or other forms of medication.
It would appear that in certain parts of the country, other tests are sometimes carried out to try and assess the amount of damage being caused in the brain. I certainly was never offered any such tests. As a result, I still suffer from Encephalopathy episodes, post-liver transplant.
I have since found out that there is a simple test that’s used in America and across Europe. This test is known as, “The Animal Naming Test” and I am grateful to NinaNon for informing me of this simple, but reliable test.
Here 36 pictures of animals are laid out, and a person has to name each animal. It sounds easy, and it is, but a person with HE will most likely identify a dog or a cat but will stumble or have difficulty naming some of the others. A score is then used to assess the amount of brain damage that is being caused.
This test has been available since 2017, I suspect that most of the GP’s in our country have never heard of it.
Early identification of HE is imperative to prevent more permanent brain damage from being caused. I shall be making more doctors and GP’s in my area aware of this simple test in the future.
This article is in German, but by selecting, “Translate” on your web browser you should be able to read it in English. There is more information about this test out there and available online: medical-tribune.de/medizin-...