title: Distribution of Diseases Causing Liver Function Test Abnormality in Children and Natural Recovery Time of the Abnormal Liver Function.
abstract: Although liver function test abnormality is frequently noted in children, there is no report about the distribution of the etiology and natural recovery time of the abnormal liver function. From March 2005 to February 2014, clinical information was retrospectively collected from 559 children who had abnormal liver function and were hospitalized or visited the outpatient clinic at the Jeju National University Hospital. The etiology of abnormal liver function was classified into groups and the natural recovery time of abnormal liver function was analyzed. The etiological groups of 559 patients included 'nonspecific hepatitis' in 42 (7.5%), 'infection' in 323 (57.8%), 'rheumatologic and autoimmune' in 66 (11.8%), 'nonalcoholic fatty liver disease' in 57 (10.2%), 'anatomic' in 12 (2.1%), 'toxic' in 13 (2.1%), 'metabolic' in 8 (1.4%), 'hematologic' in 7 (1.3%), 'hemodynamic' in 4 (0.7%), and 'others' in 27 (4.8%). Among the 'infection' group (57.8%), the 'viral infection in the respiratory tract' subgroup, which had 111 patients (19.8%), was the most common. The natural recovery time of the abnormal liver function was 27 days (median) in 'nonspecific hepatitis', 13 days (median) in 'viral respiratory tract disease', 16 days (median) in 'viral gastroenteritis', 42 days (median) in 'viral febrile illness", and 7 days (median) in "Kawasaki disease". The information on the natural recovery time of abnormal liver function may help the physician to perform good clinical consultation for patients and their parents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Jeju National University School of Medicine, Jeju, Korea.
authors.forename: Mirinae
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3466-1435
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Jeju National University School of Medicine, Jeju, Korea.
authors.forename: Min Su
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5327-0934
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Jeju National University School of Medicine, Jeju, Korea.
authors.forename: Se Cheol
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1415-6543
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Jeju National University School of Medicine, Jeju, Korea. kskang@jejunu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Ki Soo
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6374-8356
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Kang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000032:analysis; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000032:analysis; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008297:Male; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis
chemical_list: D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase
keywords: Children; Liver Function Test; Recovery