Pediatric Liver Disease: Early Diagnosis Equals Survival

A team of researchers conducted an in-depth study where they investigated Autoimmune Hepatitis (AIH), a progressive inflammatory liver disease, which is becoming common among children, according to a news release.

The research team from the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) and 13 pediatric academic centers in Canada conducted a retrospective chart review spanning 10 years to unveil the incidence of AIH, how patients present with the disease, variances in treatment across Canada and patient outcomes.

"Before now, there was little data on incidence and prevalence of AIH in Canada and even the worldwide literature is scarce," said Dr. Carolina Jimenez, the study's lead author, and director of Liver Services Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Clinical Nutrition at CHEO.

In their study, the researchers found that 159 children under the age of 18 had Autoimmune Hepatitis (AIH), which represents 2.3 million in Canada. They found that some of the common symptoms were fatigue, jaundice, and abdominal pain.

"Liver disease is not just an adult problem. Our hope is to equip family physicians and specialists alike with evidence-based data so they can start investigations and refer patients earlier; this way kids get treated faster and will have better outcomes," Jimenez said.

The researchers found that it takes a long time to diagnose AIH, and during that process is likely that a child's symptoms will become worse.

The study revealed that one quarter of children with AIH have a family history of autoimmune diseases. The researcher claimed that about 20 percent of all the children on the onset had cirrhosis and the conventional therapy worked effectively, which reduced the need for a liver transplant.

Through this study, the researchers were able develop new tests for diagnosing AIH, which included MRIs and blood tests.

"Our paper underscores the importance of recognizing and treating this disease early," said Dr. Fernando Alvarez, professor of Pediatrics, Sainte-Justine Hospital, University of Montreal. "We can do more for this population of very sick children if we aim to standardize care across Canada. Access to this type of information is a step in the right direction."

Related Articles 

Diabetes: Early Insulin Treatment Equals Better Outcomes

Cancer Genes: New Compound Fights Cancer and Leukemia In Animals

For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).