An observational study in Hepatic Encephalopathy, Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy and Liver Cirrhosis, sponsored by The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in China. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 75 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-01.
Sponsored by The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University · Observational
Purpose Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a serious complication of liver cirrhosis that can cause memory loss, slow reaction, and even coma. In China, large-scale epidemiological data on HE are lacking, early diagnosis remains difficult, and treatment needs improvement. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of HE in Chinese liver disease patients and to explore better diagnostic methods and treatment strategies.
Design This is a prospective, multicenter cohort study led by Jiangsu Province Hospital, in collaboration with 7 other hospitals in Jiangsu Province. Between April 2026 and December 2029, the study plans to enroll over 700 patients with liver cirrhosis and 120 healthy volunteers.
What participants will do Participants will use a WeChat mini-program to perform simple cognitive tests (e.g., reaction speed, attention) regularly. They will be followed up at month 1, 3, 6 after enrollment, and then every six months. The research team will collect routine laboratory results, medication records, and quality-of-life data.
Benefits and risks Participants will receive closer health monitoring, which may help detect changes early. The study involves no additional drugs or invasive procedures, so risks are very low. All personal information will be kept strictly confidential and used only for medical research.
Voluntary participation Participation is completely voluntary, and participants can withdraw at any time without affecting their routine medical care.
Hepatic encephalopathy is a common and serious complication of liver cirrhosis, which greatly affects the quality of life and survival prognosis of patients and imposes a heavy burden on the medical and health system. Among patients with liver cirrhosis, the prevalence of overt hepatic encephalopathy is 10-14%, rising to 16-21% in decompensated liver cirrhosis patients, and reaching 10-50% in those who have undergone transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS). The prevalence of minimal hepatic encephalopathy (mHE) ranges from 20% to 80%. Currently, the diagnosis of hepatic encephalopathy still relies on exclusion, and the first-line treatments are lactulose and rifaximin. In summary, there are many patients with hepatic encephalopathy, diagnosis is difficult, and the treatment effect is also limited. Studying the specific conditions of Chinese patients, improving diagnostic methods, and exploring more precise treatment plans are of great significance for improving the quality of life of patients and reducing the medical burden.
225 studies on the registry are indexed under Hepatic Encephalopathy; 53 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 700 is above the median of 100 across 58 observational studies indexed under Hepatic Encephalopathy.
Browse Hepatic Encephalopathy studies →The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University is the lead sponsor of 568 studies on the registry; 317 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
People with liver cirrhosis are diagnosed by doctors through imaging, elastography, biopsy or clinical symptoms.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
A biopsy takes a small piece of tissue to examine. “Archival tissue” is a sample already taken, for example at diagnosis, and kept by the hospital.
Whether a stored sample will do depends on when it was taken, how much there is and what the study needs. Ask whether the study accepts your stored sample or needs a new biopsy.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Biopsy and archival tissue
A biopsy takes a small piece of tissue to examine. “Archival tissue” is a sample already taken, for example at diagnosis, and kept by the hospital.
Whether a stored sample will do depends on when it was taken, how much there is and what the study needs. Ask whether the study accepts your stored sample or needs a new biopsy.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Patients who did not develop covert hepatic encephalopathy during the follow-up period
Behavioral: wechat mini-program
Patients who develop covert hepatic encephalopathy during the follow-up period
Behavioral: wechat mini-program
Patients who develop sarcopenia during the follow-up period
Patients who did not develop sarcopenia during the follow-up period
During the follow-up period, there was a decline in quality of life.
During the follow-up period, there was not a decline in quality of life.
use a WeChat mini-program to perform simple cognitive tests (e.g., reaction speed, attention) regularly
covert hepatic encephalopathy
Patients classified as level 0-1 according to the West Haven classification. The West Haven classification system for hepatic encephalopathy, formally titled the West Haven Classification for Hepatic Encephalopathy, is a semi-quantitative grading system widely used in clinical practice and research to assess the severity of hepatic encephalopathy in patients with cirrhosis. The evaluation is based on a comprehensive clinical assessment of four domains: level of consciousness, intellectual and behavioural function (including orientation, personality, mood, and attention), neuromuscular function (including asterixis, tendon reflexes, and ataxia), and ability to perform activities of daily living. Using these criteria, hepatic encephalopathy is classified into grades ranging from a minimum of Grade 0 to a maximum of Grade 4.
Time frame: from the time of enrollment until the end of the 2-year follow-up period
Sarcopenia
Sarcopenia refers to the loss of muscle mass. The definition is based on the L3-SMI.
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 2 years
decline in quality of life
Evaluated through the SF-36(36-Item Short-Form Health Survey) scale. The SF-36 assesses nine health dimensions. For every dimension (after standard transformation), the minimum possible score is 0 and the maximum possible score is 100. A higher score always indicates a better health outcome or better quality of life.
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 2 years
DEATH
The patient died.
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 2 years
liver transplantation
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 2 years
TIPS
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 2 years
Plan to share: No
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Sep 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University →