Demographics, aetiology and outcome of paediatric acute liver failure in Singapore

Introduction: The aetiology of paediatric acute liver failure (PALF) varies widely according to age, and geographic and socioeconomic factors. This study aimed to examine the epidemiology, aetiology and outcome of PALF in Singapore at a single centre. Methods: A retrospective review was performed of...

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Main Authors: Fang Kuan Chiou, Veena Logarajah, Christopher Wen Wei Ho, Lynette Suk-Hui Goh, Sivaramakrishnan Venkatesh Karthik, Marion Margaret Aw, Kong Boo Phua
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer – Medknow Publications 2022-11-01
Series:Singapore Medical Journal
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Online Access:https://journals.lww.com/10.11622/smedj.2021138
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author Fang Kuan Chiou
Veena Logarajah
Christopher Wen Wei Ho
Lynette Suk-Hui Goh
Sivaramakrishnan Venkatesh Karthik
Marion Margaret Aw
Kong Boo Phua
author_facet Fang Kuan Chiou
Veena Logarajah
Christopher Wen Wei Ho
Lynette Suk-Hui Goh
Sivaramakrishnan Venkatesh Karthik
Marion Margaret Aw
Kong Boo Phua
author_sort Fang Kuan Chiou
collection DOAJ
description Introduction: The aetiology of paediatric acute liver failure (PALF) varies widely according to age, and geographic and socioeconomic factors. This study aimed to examine the epidemiology, aetiology and outcome of PALF in Singapore at a single centre. Methods: A retrospective review was performed of patients aged 0–18 years who were diagnosed with PALF from 2007 to 2019. PALF was defined by: absence of chronic liver disease; biochemical evidence of acute liver injury; and coagulopathy, non-correctible by vitamin K, defined as prothrombin time (PT) ≥20 seconds or international normalised ratio (INR) ≥2.0 regardless of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) or PT ≥15 seconds or INR ≥1.5 in the presence of HE. Results: 34 patients were included. Median age at diagnosis was 10 months (range 7 days to 156 months). The top three causes of PALF were indeterminate (41.2%), metabolic (26.5%) and infectious (26.5%) aetiologies. A metabolic disorder was the most frequent aetiology in infants <12 months (38.9%), whereas an indeterminate cause was the most common in children >12 months (50%). No cases of viral hepatitis A or B presenting with PALF were detected. Overall spontaneous recovery rate (survival without liver transplantation [LT]) was 38.2%, and overall mortality rate was 47.1%. Six patients underwent living-donor LT, and the post-transplant survival at one year was 83.3%. Conclusion: The aetiologic spectrum of PALF in Singapore is similar to that in developed Western countries, with indeterminate aetiology accounting for the majority. PALF is associated with poor overall survival; hence, timely LT for suitable candidates is critical to improve survival outcomes.
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spelling doaj-art-e8143a6e99234dfdb9116c3eecb3142b2025-02-10T05:47:23ZengWolters Kluwer – Medknow PublicationsSingapore Medical Journal0037-56752737-59352022-11-01631165966610.11622/smedj.2021138Demographics, aetiology and outcome of paediatric acute liver failure in SingaporeFang Kuan ChiouVeena LogarajahChristopher Wen Wei HoLynette Suk-Hui GohSivaramakrishnan Venkatesh KarthikMarion Margaret AwKong Boo PhuaIntroduction: The aetiology of paediatric acute liver failure (PALF) varies widely according to age, and geographic and socioeconomic factors. This study aimed to examine the epidemiology, aetiology and outcome of PALF in Singapore at a single centre. Methods: A retrospective review was performed of patients aged 0–18 years who were diagnosed with PALF from 2007 to 2019. PALF was defined by: absence of chronic liver disease; biochemical evidence of acute liver injury; and coagulopathy, non-correctible by vitamin K, defined as prothrombin time (PT) ≥20 seconds or international normalised ratio (INR) ≥2.0 regardless of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) or PT ≥15 seconds or INR ≥1.5 in the presence of HE. Results: 34 patients were included. Median age at diagnosis was 10 months (range 7 days to 156 months). The top three causes of PALF were indeterminate (41.2%), metabolic (26.5%) and infectious (26.5%) aetiologies. A metabolic disorder was the most frequent aetiology in infants <12 months (38.9%), whereas an indeterminate cause was the most common in children >12 months (50%). No cases of viral hepatitis A or B presenting with PALF were detected. Overall spontaneous recovery rate (survival without liver transplantation [LT]) was 38.2%, and overall mortality rate was 47.1%. Six patients underwent living-donor LT, and the post-transplant survival at one year was 83.3%. Conclusion: The aetiologic spectrum of PALF in Singapore is similar to that in developed Western countries, with indeterminate aetiology accounting for the majority. PALF is associated with poor overall survival; hence, timely LT for suitable candidates is critical to improve survival outcomes.https://journals.lww.com/10.11622/smedj.2021138hepatitisliver failurepaediatric
spellingShingle Fang Kuan Chiou
Veena Logarajah
Christopher Wen Wei Ho
Lynette Suk-Hui Goh
Sivaramakrishnan Venkatesh Karthik
Marion Margaret Aw
Kong Boo Phua
Demographics, aetiology and outcome of paediatric acute liver failure in Singapore
Singapore Medical Journal
hepatitis
liver failure
paediatric
title Demographics, aetiology and outcome of paediatric acute liver failure in Singapore
title_full Demographics, aetiology and outcome of paediatric acute liver failure in Singapore
title_fullStr Demographics, aetiology and outcome of paediatric acute liver failure in Singapore
title_full_unstemmed Demographics, aetiology and outcome of paediatric acute liver failure in Singapore
title_short Demographics, aetiology and outcome of paediatric acute liver failure in Singapore
title_sort demographics aetiology and outcome of paediatric acute liver failure in singapore
topic hepatitis
liver failure
paediatric
url https://journals.lww.com/10.11622/smedj.2021138
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