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Assessment of Growth and Development in Children With Hepatitis B Positivity
Tugba Sari1, Erdal Eren2, Suda Tekin Koruk1
1Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Harran University School of Medicine, 63100 Sanliurfa, Turkey.
Insights
Hepatitis B infection in children is linked to malnutrition and impaired growth. Elevated liver enzymes like AST and ALT correlate with reduced weight and height, indicating hepatic inflammation impacts development.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Hepatology
- Child Growth and Development
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Chronic infections and liver diseases, such as hepatitis B, can impede child growth and development, often leading to malnutrition.
- Hepatitis B positivity in children necessitates an understanding of its impact on anthropometric measurements and overall health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the demographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, and laboratory findings in children with hepatitis B positivity.
- To investigate the relationship between hepatitis B infection markers and indicators of malnutrition and growth in pediatric patients.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 43 pediatric cases with HBsAg positivity admitted between January 2012 and February 2013.
- Evaluation of demographic data, anthropometric measurements (weight, height, BMI), and laboratory results including liver enzymes (AST, ALT), AFP, HBeAg, IGFBP-3, and IGF-1.
Main Results:
- A malnutrition rate of 25.6% was observed in children with HBsAg positivity; obesity was present in 6.9%.
- Significantly higher AST levels were found in malnourished children. Weight and height standard deviation scores (SDS) decreased as ALT and AST levels increased.
- Body mass index (BMI) decreased with increasing AST and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels. A negative correlation was noted between IGFBP-3/IGF-1 and AST.
Conclusions:
- Hepatic inflammation is a key factor affecting growth in children with hepatitis B.
- Monitoring growth and development in HBsAg-positive children is crucial for understanding and addressing growth retardation mechanisms.
Background:
Chronic infections and liver diseases may influence the growth and development of children by leading to malnutrition. In this study, demographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements and laboratory findings for children with hepatitis B positivity were analyzed.
Methods:
A total of 43 cases were admitted to our clinic between January 2012 and February 2013 and detected to have HBsAg positivity.
Results:
Malnutrition was detected in 11 cases (25.6%) and obesity in three cases (6.9%). Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were significantly higher in malnourished patients compared to those without malnutrition. The weight to height was significantly higher in patients with positive HBeAg compared to children with negative HBeAg. We found that the weight standard deviation scores (SDS) ratios dropped as alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and AST levels increased and height SDS ratios decreased. In addition, body mass index (BMI) decreased as AST and alpha feto protein (AFP) values increased. While a significant relationship was not detected between insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and ALT, a significantly negative correlation was detected between IGFBP-3 and IGF-1 and AST. We found a malnutrition rate of 25.6% in children with HBsAg positivity. We also found that weight and height SDS rates decreased as ALT and AST levels increased. In addition, we detected that BMI decreased as AST and AFP values increased.
Conclusion:
We consider that hepatic inflammation is the factor that affects growth. Monitoring of growth and development during follow-up of children who are detected to have HBsAg positivity would be beneficial to determine the mechanism and causes of growth retardation.
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