Etiology in Children Presented With Chronic Liver Disease in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Background Chronic liver disease (CLD) is one of the most significant causes of morbidity and mortality among the pediatric age group. The identification of the etiology of the disease is of utmost importance for the effective management of the disease. Objective To determine the various causes of CLD in pediatric patients attending a large public sector pediatric hospital. Patients and methods A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted at the National Institute of Child Health, Karachi, Pakistan from August 1, 2021, to February 28, 2022. All patients below 16 years of age of either gender with more than three months of symptoms duration on admission were enrolled. The diagnosis was labeled after the standard reference ranges for the pediatric age group. Results Of 136 patients, the mean age was 4.42 ± 3.92 years. More than half of the patients were males (76, 55.9%). Hepatitis B (31, 22.8%), idiopathic (23, 16.9%), glycogen storage disorder (GSD) (21, 15.4%), and Wilson disease (14, 10.3%) were the most common cause of CLD. A significant association of hepatitis was observed with age (p-value < 0.001), residence (p-value = 0.048), symptomatic (p-value < 0.001), total bilirubin level (p-value = 0.003), direct bilirubin level (p-value = 0.002), and albumin level (p-value = 0.003). Whereas a significant association of GSD was observed with age (p-value = 0.001), residence (p-value < 0.001), and serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT) level (p-value = 0.033). Conclusion In our cohort, hepatitis B, idiopathic, GSD, and Wilson disease were the most common causes of CLD in pediatric patients. Moreover, age, residence, symptomatic, total bilirubin level, direct bilirubin level, SGPT, and albumin level were the important predictor variables.