Cirrhosis complication 'may affect driving'
Friday 18th March 2011
Doctors treating patients for liver disease should potentially warn them that their driving safety could be impaired, according to a study in Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
The article claims that between 20 and 50 per cent of patients with cirrhosis are affected by hephatic encephalopathy (HE), a cognitive impairment that has been associated with a higher risk of car accidents.
"At minimum, physicians and other health-care workers should carefully evaluate their cirrhotic patients for any degree of hepatic encephalopathy and address driving issues with them," said Stanley Martin Cohen MD, lead author of the study.
As well as affecting the ability to drive, HE is also associated with a reduced quality of life, with studies suggesting that it may not be a reversible condition.
Another recent study identified 15 new genomic regions that provide clues into the risk of developing chronic liver cirrhosis.
Written by James Puckle
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