153176 20251017144550.0 doi 10.1007/s11136-025-03920-3 sideral 143651 ART-2025-143651 eng Batallas, Daniela Blood ammonia and eye-hand coordination negatively affect health-related quality of life in women with minimal hepatic encephalopathy 2025 Access copy available to the general public Unrestricted Purpose: Minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) is common in cirrhosis, leading to cognitive impairment and eye-hand coordination (EHC) alterations. Hyperammonemia plays a key role in MHE, contributing to motor and cognitive deficits. Elevated blood ammonia levels and impaired EHC correlate with neuropsychiatric dysfunction, yet their direct impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is complex. This study examines the associations between blood ammonia, EHC, and HRQoL, and the moderating influence of sex on these associations. Methods: Eighty-seven cirrhotic patients (67 male) and 23 healthy volunteers (11 male), aged 44–80 years, performed the Psychometric Hepatic Encephalopathy Score (PHES) for MHE diagnosis, the Vienna Test System, bimanual and visuomotor tests, and completed the SF-36 questionnaire to measure HRQoL. Blood samples were taken to test ammonia levels. Results: Results indicated a significant association between elevated blood ammonia and impaired EHC among cirrhotic patients. However, increased blood ammonia and EHC did not directly predict HRQoL. Moderated moderation analysis revealed that women with MHE showed greater sensitivity to hyperammonemia and EHC deficits in tasks requiring fine motor control and stability skills (aiming, tapping, and bimanual coordination), which were linked to lower HRQoL in both physical and mental domains. In women without MHE, alterations in linear tracking were linked to worse HRQoL. These effects were not observed in men. Conclusions: The findings underscore the sex-specific impacts of MHE, with women disproportionately affected by ammonia-related motor impairments and their subsequent influence on HRQoL. These results could contribute to developing targeted strategies to improve outcomes in this vulnerable population. info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/ISCIII/PI23-00062 info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MICINN/PID2020-119406GB-I00 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess by https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.es info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Gallego, Juan José Casanova-Ferrer, Franc Fiorillo, Alessandra Rivas-Diaz, Pablo López-Gramaje, Adrià Arenas, Yaiza M. Aparicio, Luis Escudero-García, Desamparados Durbán, Lucía Rios, María-Pilar Benlloch, Salvador Urios, Amparo Hidalgo, Vanesa Universidad de Zaragoza (orcid)0000-0003-3920-1099 Montoliu, Carmina Salvador, Alicia 4009 725 Universidad de Zaragoza Dpto. Psicología y Sociología Área Psicobiología (2025), [14 pp.] Qual. life res. QUALITY OF LIFE RESEARCH 0962-9343 1060600 http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/153176/files/texto_completo.pdf Versión publicada 2213198 http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/153176/files/texto_completo.jpg?subformat=icon icon Versión publicada oai:zaguan.unizar.es:153176 articulos driver 2025-10-17-14:11:35 ARTICLE