Minimal hepatic encephalopathy in hepatosplenic schistosomiasis: High prevalence and association with portosystemic shunts in a Brazilian cross-sectional study

Table 4 Clinical characteristics of 200 patients with hepatosplenic schistosomiasis, according to the presence or absence of hepatic encephalopathy diagnosed by animal naming (Recife, Brazil, 2025)

Variables	Total (%)	With HE, n = 49 (%)	Without HE, n = 151 (%)	P value
Average age (years)	56.44 ± 13.31	57.55 ± 13.96	56.08 ± 13.08	0.52
Female sex	106 (53.00)	33 (67.35)	73 (48.34)	0.03
Self-reported ethnicity
Black	148 (74.00)	38 (77.55)	110 (72.84)	0.68
White	52 (26.00)	11 (22.45)	41 (27.15)
Education (years)	4.80 ± 3.47	4.50 ± 4.35	5.21 ± 3.06	0.14
History of UGIB	127 (63.50)	34 (69.38)	93 (61.58)	0.41
Previous splenectomy	94 (47.00)	21 (42.86)	73 (48.34)	0.61
HAD questionnaire score	7.88 ± 2.16	7.69 ± 3.79	7.94 ± 2.50	0.83
Mean MMSE score	25.42 ± 0.81	24.06 ± 1.17	26.04 ± 0.63	0.0003
MMSE < 25	73 (36.50)	28 (57.14)	45 (29.80)	0.001

Data are showed as n (%) or mean ± SD. UGIB: Upper gastrointestinal bleeding; HAD: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; MMSE: Mini-Mental State Examination; HE: Hepatic encephalopathy.