Bacterial infections associated with hepatic encephalopathy: Prevalence and outcome

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a major sign of severe liver disease and the impact of associated bacterial infections should be better evaluated. A retrospective cohort of 333 patients with cirrhosis and HE was analyzed in three periods of time, from 1984 to 1998. Variance analysis, Wilcoxon, Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were used for statistical comparisons. Prevalence of bacterial infections decreased along the time (p = 0.0029). Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis -SBP- (37%) and urinary tract infection (30%) were the more frequent types of bacterial infections. Early death was significantly higher in HE with infection (46,47%) and the calculated RR was 2.047. Prognosis was worse in septicemia (79%) and respiratory tract infection (50%) and better in urinary tract infection (27%). SBP lethality was reduced from 70% to 38% (p = 0.062). In conclusion, lower prevalence of bacterial infections, in severe liver disease, was achieved in the last decade, but short-term prognosis remains bad, varying according to the type of bacterial infection.