Acute hepatic failure with encephalopathy in children

Abstract

Introduction: Hepatic encephalopathy is a serious and likely to be reversible neurophyschiatric state in the patient of liver failure. Acute hepatic failure is a life-threatening condition in children. Objectives: The study analyses the clinical spectrum, prognosis and factors determining the prognosis of children with acute hepatic failure and associated encephalopathy in a tertiary level hospital. Methodology: Thirty two children (18 males and 14 females) were presented with the diagnosis over a two year period. It is a Prospective study. Results: The commonest cause of acute hepatic failure was hepatitis A virus found in 30% of cases. Only 30% (9 out of 32) children could be survived, in which mostly came in hepatic encephalopathy Stage I and II. Hemorrhagic manifestations were significantly more (P=0.002) in died in contrast to survived. Conclusion: Hepatic failure is a condition associated with high mortality primarily in absence of hepatic transplantation facilities. Focus of efforts should be in providing preventive steps such as immunization and society education.