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Liver involvement in the process of acute respiratory infections in pediatric patients

Nune Baghdasaryan1, Gohar Ayvazyan2, Murad Grigoryan3

  • 1Department of Pediatrics # 1,Yerevan State Medical University after M. Heratsi, Yerevan, Armenia. nun_bag@mail.ru.

Journal of Infection in Developing Countries
|February 13, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Ornithine carbamoyltransferase (OCT) is a more sensitive indicator of liver injury in pediatric patients with acute respiratory infections (ARI). Higher OCT levels correlate with increased disease severity, impacting hospitalization.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Hepatology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Biomarker Discovery

Background:

  • Acute respiratory infections (ARI) can manifest with liver involvement in children.
  • Routine liver function tests may not adequately detect early hepatic injury in pediatric ARI.
  • Identifying sensitive indicators of liver damage is crucial for managing pediatric ARI.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prevalence of liver involvement in pediatric patients with ARI.
  • To compare the sensitivity of routine hepatic panel tests with ornithine carbamoyltransferase (OCT) for detecting early hepatic injury.
  • To identify the most sensitive indicators of hepatic injury in pediatric ARI.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective cohort study of 84 Armenian children with ARI.
  • Evaluation of clinical disease severity signs and enzymatic profiles.
  • Measurement of serum levels of OCT, AST, ALT, ammonia, phospholipides, glucose, TNF-α, and IL-8.

Main Results:

  • Serum OCT levels were elevated in 94% of pediatric ARI patients, significantly higher than routine tests (AST 41.7%, ALT 15.5%).
  • Elevated OCT, ammonia, phospholipides, glucose, TNF-α, IL-8, AST, and ALP levels were associated with ARI disease severity.
  • Serum OCT and ammonia levels significantly predicted disease severity in pediatric ARI patients.

Conclusions:

  • Ornithine carbamoyltransferase (OCT) is a more sensitive and specific marker for detecting liver damage in pediatric ARI.
  • Testing serum OCT levels can identify more cases of ARI with hepatic manifestations.
  • Higher serum OCT levels in pediatric ARI patients are linked to increased disease severity and potentially longer hospitalization.
Abstract

Keywords:
Ornithine carbamoyltransferase (OCT)acute respiratory infection (ARI)liver dysfunctionliver panelnoninvasive indicators of liver damage

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