Hyperammonemia has been reported to be associated with patients who receive valproic acid (VPA) therapy. This study aimed to determine the risk factors for hyperammonemia in patients with epilepsy treated with VPA. One hundred and fifty-eight adult patients with epilepsy aged older than 17 years who received VPA therapy were enrolled into this study. Blood samples were taken during the interict...

Gastrorenal shunts may induce hyperammonemia. Portosystemic shunts should be suspected when hyperammonemia occurs in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Hyperammonemia is a recognized cause of encephalopathy. However, it is commonly seen in patients with liver disease. The clinical entity of noncirrhotic hyperammonemia is now being increasingly recognized. We report a man who presented to our hospital with relapsing altered mental status later diagnosed as noncirrhotic hyperammonemia.

Over the past decades, 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) has been widely used to treat several types of carcinoma, including esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. In addition to its common side effects, including diarrhea, mucositis, neutropenia, and anemia, 5-FU treatment has also been reported to cause hyperammonemia. However, the exact mechanism responsible for 5-FU-induced hyperammonemia remains unknown....

Purpose. A 66-year-old man who presented with coma was found to have isolated severe hyperammonemia and diagnosed with a late-onset urea-cycle disorder. He was treated successfully and had full recovery. Methods. We report a novel case of noncirrhotic hyperammonemia and review the literature on this topic. Selected literature for review included English-language articles concerning hyperammonem...

Background: Transient hyperammonemia of the newborn (THAN) is an overwhelming condition presenting with coma within 2-3 days of life and requiring immediate treatment. The etiology of this condition remains unknown. Duration of coma determines the degree of neurologic impairment and developmental delay in hyperammonemia. Case report: A newborn (BW=2900 g) was presented with a clear prenatal an...

BACKGROUND Hyperammonemia is a life-threatening event that can occur at any age. If treated, the early symptoms in all age groups could be reversible. If untreated, hyperammonemia could be toxic and cause irreversible brain damage to the developing brain. OBJECTIVE There are major challenges that worsen the outcome of hyperammonemic individuals in the Middle East. These include: lack of aware...

Ammonia is constantly produced as a metabolic waste from amino acid catabolism in mammals. Ammonia, the toxic waste metabolite, is resolved in the liver where the urea cycle converts free ammonia to urea. Liver malfunctions cause hyperammonemia that leads to central nervous system (CNS) dysfunctions, such as brain edema, convulsions, and coma. The current treatments for hyperammonemia, such as ...

Loss of muscle mass, or sarcopenia, is nearly universal in cirrhosis and adversely affects patient outcome. The underlying cross-talk between the liver and skeletal muscle mediating sarcopenia is not well understood. Hyperammonemia is a consistent abnormality in cirrhosis due to impaired hepatic detoxification to urea. We observed elevated levels of ammonia in both plasma samples and skeletal m...

PURPOSE The possibility that hyperammonemia may be associated with generalized convulsion (GC) was retrospectively investigated. METHODS Subjects comprised 17 patients with GC who were transported to our department and underwent analysis of serum biochemistry, including ammonia, since October 2004. RESULTS Causes of convulsion included intracranial lesions (n=8), endocrine diseases (n=2), e...