Searching for a corrective factor in hepatic encephalopathy [serum calcium and phosphorus]

ABSTRACT

This study was conducted on 20 patients with different grades of hepatic encephalopathy to estimate serum phosphorous and calcium in this particular neuropsychiatric syndrome. The results of those patients were compared to 10 normal subjects. 16 patients [80%] with hepatic encephalopathy showed hypophosphatemia with a mean of 2.64 +/- 47 mg/dl. There was mild hypocalcemia in all patients with a mean of 8.9 +/- mg/dl. It was found that the grade of hepatic encephalopathy was inversely proportional to be serum phosphorous level. Correction of this hypophosphatemia to improve the clinical condition of those patients, avoiding the use of the antacid aluminium hydroxide as it lowers phosphorous absorption and the use of biological active metabolites of vitamin D to correct these metabolic abnormalities were recommended