Encephalopathy overview

Encephalopathy
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] ; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Aditya Govindavarjhulla, M.B.B.S. [2]

Overview

Encephalopathy is a clinical manifestation that can be caused by any pathology affecting brain function. The pathology can be intracranial or extra-cranial in origin. This brain malfunction can be due to systemic metabolic derangements in cardiopulmonary,mitochondrial[[3]], renal, hepatic or endocrine systems. In medical jargon it can refer to a wide variety of degenerative brain disorders with very different etiologies, prognoses and implications. For example, prion diseases, all of which cause transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, are nearly always fatal and have an infectious origin, but other encephalopathies are reversible and can be caused by deficiency, toxins, and several other causes.