Acta Medica Medianae
Vol. 51, No 2, June, 2012
UDK 61
ISSN 0365-4478(Printed version)
ISSN 1821-2794(Online)

Correspondence to:

Bojana Marković - Živković

Vizantijski Bulevar 124/11

18000 Niš, Srbija

E-mail: bobi@ptt.rs

Review article                                                                   

UDC: 615.874:616.831-008

doi:10.5633/amm.2012.0208

NUTRITIVE THERAPY OF HEPATIC ENCEPHALOPATHY AS A COMPLICATION OF LIVER CIRRHOSIS

Bojana Marković-Živković¹, Goran Bjelaković², Danica Marković³ and Dušica Stojanović⁴

University of Niš, Faculty of Medicine, Niš, Serbia¹

Clinic of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Clinical Center Niš, Niš, Serbia²

Center for Medical Biochemistry, Clinical Center Niš, Niš, Serbia³

Center for Hygiene and Human Ecology, Public Health Institute Niš⁴

Hepatic encephalopathy is a complication of liver cirrhosis and is defined as a neuropsychiatric disease, with a reversibile character. Besides classical ways of therapy, an increasing importance is attached to nutritional therapy that is an effective prevention of the onset and leads to an ease of symptoms in hepathic encephalopathy that already exists. After the patient's nutritional status evaluation, the prescription of diet that includes adequate protein, calories and vitamins is assessed. The greatest importance is attached to the zinc intake as well as branched chain amino acids (BCAA therapy) supplementation. It is believed that further development of science in terms of nutrigenomics and nutrigenetics will give detailed guidance on further developments since the possibility of clinical investigation in these patients is limited. Acta Medica Medianae 2012;51(2):39-44.

      Key words: hepatic encephalopathy, nutritional status, nutritional therapy, liver cirrhosis