Acetyl-L-Carnitine Reduces Depression and Improves Quality of Life in Patients With Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy

Inclusion criteria

• All patients diagnosed as having cirrhosis at the outpatient Internal Medicine of the Department of Senescence of Cannizzaro Hospital (Catania) were candidates for enrolment. The diagnosis of cirrhosis was based on clinical, biochemical and ultrasonographic or liver histological data.

Exclusion criteria

• Exclusion criteria were overt hepatic encephalopathy or a history of overt HE; history of recent alcohol intake; infection; recent antibiotic use or gastrointestinal bleeding; history of recent use of drugs affecting psychometric performances like benzodiazepines, antiepileptics or psychotropic drugs; a history of shunt surgery or transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt for portal hypertension; electrolyte imbalance; renal impairment; hepatocellular carcinoma; severe medical problems such as congestive heart failure, pulmonary disease or neurological or psychiatric disorder that could influence quality of life measurement; inability to perform neuropsycological tests.