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I am a doctor and I work for an insurance company for reimbursement of claims based on their death certificate. They have claimed that encephalopathy usually develops in 6 months to a year but I know this is not possible. The causes of encephalopathy may be preexisting from 6 months to one year but I am sure not the encephalopathy itself.
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Anon - Thanks for your question and welcome to our site. You're no doubt aware that encephalopathy is a broad term used to describe abnormal brain function or structure. The abnormality may be transient, recurrent, or permanent. The loss of brain function may be reversible, static and stable, or progressive with increasing loss of brain activity.
The link below leads to an extensive article on the causes of this, and states that the following abnormalities and conditions can affect brain function:
* The brain develops quickly in a fetus as it grows in a mother's uterus; and any disruption in this growth and development may lead to encephalopathy.
* Abnormalities in anatomic structure, electrical, and chemical function may lead to altered mental function and encephalopathy.
* Poisoning of brain tissue and cells may also affect function. This poison may be produced within the body, for example from liver or kidney failure, or it may be ingested intentionally or unintentionally. Examples of intentional ingestion include alcohol intoxication or drug abuse. Examples of unintentional ingestion include carbon monoxide poisoning, medications, or toxic substances such as lead paint.
* It may be due to a birth defect (a genetic abnormality causing abnormal brain structure or chemical activity with symptoms being found at birth), or it may be evident towards the end of life due to disease, such as dementia or Alzheimer's disease.
You can find the full reference here: http://www.emedicinehealth.com/encephalopathy/article_em.htm
If you need more of a clinical reference, and want data related to a specific diagnosis, then using the Google Scholar search engine and entering the criteria for what you're seeking may enable you to get the type of reference you need. As an example, here is a Google Scholar search for the cause of
encephalopathy:
http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=encephalopathy%20cause&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=ws
Will you let us know if this meets your needs?
June 23, 2010 - 6:03pmThis Comment