Serum levels of astroglial S100-beta and neuron-specific enolase in hepatic encephalopathy patients

To find a reliable, noninvasive method for the diagnosis of cognitive impairment in patients with hepatic cirrhosis we measured serum levels of astroglial S100beta and neuron-specific enolase in cirrhotic patients with and without hepatic encephalopathy (HE). S100beta levels showed a significant increase in groups with HE stage 1 and 2 compared to both control and cirrhosis patients. However serum neuron-specific enolase levels were not significantly different between the studied groups. S100beta levels had a specificity of 91.3% and sensitivity of 51.7% for detection of HE from cirrhosis. Serum S100beta may be a useful surrogate marker for the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment in cirrhotic patients before they progress to more advanced stages of HE.