title: Etiology and prognostic factors of acute liver failure in children.
abstract: Acute liver failure (ALF) is a life-threatening condition characterized by jaundice, encephalopathy and coagulopathy leading to multiorgan failure in a patient with no prior history of liver disease. Forty three consecutive patients of ALF admitted in Pediatric ICU were studied for etiology and prognostic factors. Etiology was established in 91% cases. Viral infections were the most common cause. Mortality rate was 44%. Increasing grade of encephalopathy, >7 days interval between the onset of prodromal symptoms and encephalopathy, blood glucose <45mg/dL, serum bilirubin > 10mg/dL and pH <7.35 or >7.45 on admission were found to be associated with increased risk of mortality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Kalawati Saran Childrens Hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi, India. pkpaed@gmail.com
authors.forename: Sharandeep
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaur
authors.forename: Praveen
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Virendra
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Shiv Kumar
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Sarin
authors.forename: Arun
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kumar
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006501:Hepatic Encephalopathy / Q000473:pathology; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D017114:Liver Failure, Acute / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies