Hepatic involvement in common neonatal problems

ABSTRACT

Hepatic involvement has been reported to occur in the common neonatal problems as neonatal asphyxia, neonatal sepsis, and neonatal jaundice. However the exact type of involvement, incidence of occurrence, risk factors associated in and the impact outcome are not exactly known. To identify the risk factors, the incidence, and the types of hepatic involvement in the common neonatal problems and to determine the correlation between the types of hepatic involvement and the outcome of all cases. We studied 3 groups of neonates- group with perinatal asphyxia, group with neonatal sepsis and group with neonatal jaundice and all the 3 groups were subjected to complete perinatal history, clinical examination, and some investigations for the diagnosis of the neonatal affections according to the clinical condition but all groups were subjected to liver function tests at admission and repeated according to clinical indications and hepatic involvement. Only the patients who showed severe hepatic affection will be subjected to liver biopsy. There was hepatic involvement in 20.5% in septic cases [transient in 87.5% and persistent in 12.5%]. There was hepatic involvement in 18% of cases with perinatal asphyxia [40% transient and 60% persistent]. There was hepatic involvement in 16% of cases with neonatal jaundice [80% transient and 20% persistent]. Three newborns with persistent hepatic affection were subjected to liver biopsy which showed galactosemia in one case, neonatal hepatitis syndrome in other case and biliary atresia in the third case