November 30, 2015
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Encephalopathy facts

  • The major symptom of encephalopathy is an altered mental state.
  • Encephalopathy is often considered a complication of a primary problem such as alcoholic cirrhosis, kidney failure, or anoxia.
  • Early treatment of many types of encephalopathy can eliminate, reduce, or halt the symptoms of encephalopathy.
  • Often, cases of encephalopathy can be prevented by avoiding the many primary causes.

Encephalopathy definition and overview


The term encephalopathy, in most cases, is preceded by various terms that describe the reason, cause, or special conditions of the patient that leads to brain malfunction. For example, anoxic encephalopathy means brain damage due to lack of oxygen, and hepatic encephalopathy means brain malfunction due to liver disease. Additionally, some other terms either describe body conditions or syndromes that lead to a specific set of brain malfunctions. Examples of these are metabolic encephalopathy and Wernicke's encephalopathy (Wernicke's syndrome). There are over 150 different terms that modify or precede "encephalopathy" in the medical literature; the purpose of this article is to introduce the reader to the main categories of conditions that fall under the broad term of encephalopathy.

Medically Reviewed by a Doctor on 10/29/2015


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