ABSTRACT
Objective: To determine the etiology of chronic liver disease in children. Study Design: Descriptive cross sectional. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Paediatrics, Combined Military Hospital Lahore, from Jun 2014 to Dec 2014
Material and Methods: This is a descriptive cross sectional study conducted at department of Paediatrics, Combined Military Hospital Lahore from 1[st] June 2014 to 31[st] December 2014. It included 150 consecutive paediatric patients [1-14 years] with chronic liver disease
Results: Out of 150 children 95 [63.33%] were male and 55 [36.66%] were females. The mean age of the children included in the study was 7.2 +/- 4.6 years and the age range was 1 year to 14 years. Viral hepatitis [61, 40.67%] was the commonest cause of the liver disease followed by glycogen storage disease [11, 7.33%] and Wilson's disease in 13 [8.6%]
Conclusion: There are various causes of chronic liver disease in children most common being hepatitis B and C infection. The early identification of etiology of chronic liver disease in children is of cardinal importance for optimal management of these cases