Journal of Practical Hepatology ›› 2020, Vol. 23 ›› Issue (3): 405-408.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1672-5069.2020.03.026

• Liver cirrhosis • Previous Articles    

Short-term efficacy of ornithine aspartate and a herbal compound combination in treatment of patients with hepatitis B liver cirrhosis complicated by hepatic encephalopathy

Sun Huiqing, Zhang Shufeng, Cui Shilan, et al.   

  1. Department of Gastroenterology, Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450002, Henan Province ,China
  • Published:2020-05-27

Abstract: Objective The aim of this study was to observe the short-term efficacy of ornithine aspartate and a herbal compound, Xingnaojing, combination in treatment of patients with hepatitis B liver cirrhosis (LC) complicated by hepatic encephalopathy (HE) . Methods 62 hepatitis B-induced LC patients with HE were randomly divided into observation (n=31) and control group (n=31). The patients in the control group were treated with Xingnaojing, and those in the observation group were treated with ornithine aspartate at the basis of treatment in the control group. The regimen in both groups lasted for 2 weeks. Serum interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were detected by ELISA, and the cognitive functions were evaluated by number connection test (NCT), digital symbol (DS), mini-mental state examination (MMSE) and Hasegawa dementia scale (HDS). Results At the end of two week treatment, the fatality rate in observation group was 19.4%, significantly lower than 35.5%(P<0.05) in the control; after discontinuation of the regimen, the MMSE score in the observation was (28.1±3.2), significantly higher than 【(22.1±2.8), P<0.05】, the HDS score was (27.7±2.6), significantly higher than 【(19.0±2.1), P<0.05】, the DS score was (60.7±1.9), much higher than 【(43.1±4.0),P<0.05】, while the time of NCT was (51.6±5.9)s, significantly shorter than 【(62.4±6.5)s, P<0.05】 in the control; serum IL-6 level in the observation was (11.8±0.9)ng/L, much lower than 【(14.9±1.0)ng/L, P<0.05】, serum CRP level was (13.6±1.7)ng/L, significantly lower than 【(15.5±1.9)ng/L, P<0.05】, and serum TNF-α levels was (12.0±1.0)ng/L, significantly lower than 【(15.9±1.2)ng/L, P<0.05】 in the control; blood ammonia level in the observation was (54.9±5.6)μmol/L, significantly lower than 【(85.3±8.7)μmol/L, P<0.05】 in the control, while there were no significant differences as respect to total serum bilirubin and albumin levels between the two groups (P<0.05). Conclusion The use of isophanate ornithine and Xingnaojing combination is effective in the treatment of patients with LC and HE, which might inhibit the inflammatory reaction and decrease blood NH3 levels.

Key words: Liver cirrhosis, Hepatic encephalopathy, Ornithine aspartate, Herbal medicine, Blood ammonia, Cognitive functions, Therapy