Pediatric Liver Disease

There are dozens of types of liver disease that can impact children from infancy to adolescence -- and in most cases, a child who is properly diagnosed and treated for liver disease can grow up happy, healthy and with few if any signs of their previous illness. A small selection of potential diseases includes acute liver failure, hemochromatosis, biliary atresia, autoimmune hepatitis, cirrhosis/chronic liver failure, glycogen storage disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, viral hepatitis, tyrosinemia and Caroli’s syndrome. The two main indicators of liver disease are hypertension – which happens when there is a blockage where blood flows into, through or away from the liver – and ascites, which happens when there is an accumulation of fluid within the abdomen. Potential symptoms of a liver problem include anemia, abdominal pain and swelling, nausea, jaundice, diarrhea, vomiting blood and black stools. Treatments for young liver patients can include everything from dietary and lifestyle modifications to surgical procedures including a potential liver transplant.