What is encephalopathy?
The term encephalopathy includes any disease that affects the entire brain, changes its structure, and causes pathological changes in mental functioning.
Symptoms vary from person to person. The main signs are:
- Memory loss;
- Decrease in ability to concentrate and think;
- Irritation;
- Aggression;
- Impulsive behavior.
Some patients suffer from the following symptoms:
- Involuntary muscle contraction;
- Difficulty speaking;
- Difficulty swallowing;
- Unusual eye movement;
- Trembling;
- Muscle weakness;
- Attack;
- Loss of consciousness.
Doctors distinguish several forms of pathology, for example, encephalopathy may be acute or chronic.
Sometimes it is formed against the background of another chronic disease (liver disease).
In some clinical cases, the cause of an encephalopathy episode is infection, alcohol, medication, electrolyte imbalance in the body, bleeding in the digestive tract.
Encephalopathy can permanently damage the brain or the disease can pass without damage to this organ - sometimes it ends fatally.
Encephalopathy is not a single disease, it has a wide range of causes.
Risk factors are:
- Infections;
- Head injury (during contact sports);
- Severe bleeding, due to which the ability to supply oxygen to the brain is inhibited;
- Lack of vitamins;
- Viruses;
- Autoimmune diseases;
- Brain tumor;
- Alcohol;
- Radiation;
- Contact with toxic substances.
Source:
https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/encephalopathy
