Skip to main content

Automated Speech Analysis Correlates With Hepatic Encephalopathy Tests

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Oct 8, 2024.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Oct. 8, 2024 -- Automated speech analysis correlates with validated hepatic encephalopathy (HE) tests and may predict future overt HE, according to a study published online Sept. 12 in Hepatology.

In a two-center prospective cohort study, Patricia P. Bloom, M.D., from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues examined whether analysis of speech patterns using a modern speech platform correlates with validated HE tests, correlates with minimal HE, and can predict future overt HE. Data were included for 200 outpatients with cirrhosis and 50 control patients; patients underwent baseline speech recording and validated HE diagnostic testing with a psychometric HE score (PHES). Patients were followed for six months.

An automated speech analysis platform was used to extract 752 speech variables. The researchers observed significant associations for more than 100 speech variables with PHES. For predicting minimal HE, a three-variable model (two acoustic and one speech tempo variable) was similar to the animal naming test (area under the curve [AUC], 0.76 versus 0.69). The accuracy of the speech model was improved by adding age and Model for End-Stage Liver Disease-Sodium score (AUC, 0.82). Time to overt HE was predicted by a combined clinical speech model, with a concordance of 0.74.

"Future research will be necessary to validate this model in larger studies in different clinical settings and to determine whether changes in speech during follow-up can detect early overt HE allowing for timely interventions to prevent hospital admissions," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

Social Risk Factors Tied to Lower Odds of Receiving Preventive Services

TUESDAY, Oct. 8, 2024 -- Social risk factors are associated with decreased odds of receiving preventive services such as mammograms, Papanicolaou (Pap) tests, flu or pneumococcal...

Improper Arm Position When Measuring BP Can Overestimate Readings

TUESDAY, Oct. 8, 2024 -- Commonly used arm positions (lap and side) for measuring blood pressure (BP) can overestimate readings, according to a study published online Oct. 7 in...

Insurance-Related Disparities Seen in Prenatal Diagnosis of Congenital Heart Disease

TUESDAY, Oct. 8, 2024 -- Second-trimester ultrasound receipt mediates a considerable portion of the association between public insurance and prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.