Severe liver diseases in children, symptoms, diet. Symptoms of liver disease in children

This house stands on the right bank, and the largest digestive gland, the Liver, lives in it.
She works day after day: accumulates nutrients and vitamins, produces bile, which promotes the breakdown and absorption of fats, takes part in the metabolic process, in the synthesis of blood reservoirs, and regulates blood clotting factors. He lives, gets older year after year, weighs more. The liver is very homely: it loves well-prepared food and does not accept drugs and alcohol, and also does not like chemical agents. When the Liver is angry and sick, then the whole house, all its inhabitants, feel bad.

1. The child has a slight yellowness of the skin, and upon palpation, a slightly enlarged edge of the liver is felt, and there is slight pain in the right side. You are upset and would not even want to think that the noted signs indicate a disease, although, alas, this is not excluded. Liver diseases occupy one of the first places among gastrointestinal tract diseases in children 3-7 years old. The main reasons are irregular nutrition, changes in the quality of food products, the appearance of allergens in food and water, and psycho-emotional stress.
2. You came home from work and by moving the packages and pots in the refrigerator, you realized that the soup was not heated, and the boiled condensed milk and a piece of sausage were eaten. Your child is in 3rd grade, which means this is the third year the student has been eating dry food. You have noticed his frequent belching more than once. This is a sign that the liver is not healthy. Obviously, you need to keep a diary of food intake or provide forced control measures.
3. The mother was alarmed that the 3-year-old baby slept only on her left side or on her back. Mom remembered that even earlier the girl often cried when she was laid on her right side. Functional changes in the liver were diagnosed at a medical facility. The reason was the early transfer of the girl to artificial and mixed feeding.
4. Returning from kindergarten, my son happily ate pasties (from the kiosk). It turned out that the boy never ate anything in kindergarten. Why? Because he is not used to eating porridge, mashed potatoes, soup, pasta. At home, the “travel” method of eating predominated: people bought what they could eat right away. In fact, I can advise all parents: while the child is small, at least cook for him properly (first course, fruit, salads). Start keeping a food diary, find out what your baby ate today in kindergarten, at school, and what at home.
5. Keep notes where you note important details and nuances. For example: from what date did the virus quarantine begin in kindergarten? what additional tasks were loaded on the child after kindergarten or school; how he reacted to the remark, whether he has a seasonal illness; how the intestines work. All this is very important for the timely recognition of liver diseases. The child may complain of nausea, belching, dryness and bitterness in the mouth. At the same time, during pain in the right hypochondrium, yellow stools are noted, the head hurts, the mood is depressed, and fatigue quickly sets in. These are all signs of liver disease.

Wheatgrass - WEED OR MEDICINE?

It heals and strengthens the liver, so it’s inconvenient to somehow call it a weed. 1 teaspoon of wheatgrass, rosehip and nettle is poured into a glass of water, boiled, cooled, filtered and taken half a glass half an hour before meals and at night. The decoction is useful for both children and adults; it is not only therapeutic, but also a good prophylactic agent. If your child has (or has had in the past) problems with the liver and gallbladder, be sure to use this recipe.

Drink without limits

Another infusion is also useful for regulating liver activity: 300 g of herb and 50 g of immortelle flowers are poured into two glasses of boiling water and left to infuse overnight. In the morning, filter and give to drink instead of water, without restrictions.

Children's fee

But here is a collection that in folk medicine has long been considered for children: 200 g of St. John's wort, knotweed, calendula flowers, 15 g of buckthorn bark and 5 g of chamomile. Don’t let the “grams” confuse you, because the proportion of herbs taken for infusion is important. Take 2 tablespoons of this mixture, pour 0.5 liters of cold water and leave overnight. In the morning, boil for 5-7 minutes, leave for half an hour in a warm place, then strain. The resulting infusion should be drunk in several doses.

Symptoms of liver disease are similar to those of acute gastrointestinal diseases, as well as an attack of appendicitis. The above-mentioned decoctions will not help here - urgent medical attention is needed. Therefore, it is better to refuse self-diagnosis and treatment.

BEWARE OF BUTTERY DONUTS

At the first symptoms of the disease (dull aching pain in the right side, heartburn, lack of appetite), a warm heating pad on the right side for 1.5-2 hours before bed for three days, as well as acupressure in the area of ​​the gallbladder (under the last rib) can help vertically down from the right nipple). Plus cleansing enemas at night 2-3 times a week. It is advisable for the child to sit quietly with his right leg tucked under him twice or thrice a day. This pose promotes the flow of bile.

LET'S STRIKE FROM TWO FRONTS

In recent years, statistics indicate a steady increase in the number of liver diseases in a wide range of age groups. These diseases can be caused by a variety of reasons. Metabolic disorders (for example, obesity), intoxication with chemicals or drugs, bad habits, infections, injuries, the growth of malignant or benign tumors - all these factors can affect the structure of the liver and cause disruption of its functions, the importance of which for normal life is difficult to overestimate.

The signs of pathology of this vital organ are very diverse, and often it is from them that the doctor is able to promptly suspect the development of the disease, conduct the necessary examination of the patient and prescribe a course of therapy. At the same time, the danger of some liver diseases lies in the fact that in the early stages they are practically asymptomatic, and the disease is detected already at those stages when a specialist needs to make every effort to correct the changes that have occurred.

That is why early diagnosis of liver pathologies is so important for maintaining health and requires the closest attention, both from the patient and the doctor. In this article we will introduce you to the main first symptoms of pathologies of this organ. This knowledge will help you to suspect the onset of the disease in time, and by contacting a doctor you will prevent its progression.

16 Symptoms of Liver Problems You Shouldn't Ignore

In case of liver pathologies (cirrhosis and hepatitis), a symptom such as “liver palms” may be observed: red spots form on the skin of the palms and feet, located on the hills or edges. Such redness fades when pressure is applied and quickly turns red again if the pressure on the skin stops.

With liver pathologies accompanied by impaired outflow of bile and an increase in the level of fats in the blood, xanthomas may appear on the eyelids, hands and elbows, knees, feet, buttocks and armpits. These formations are yellowish plaques that are located intradermally.

Liver lesions are often accompanied. A lack of vitamins causes areas of dryness and flaking on the skin, cracks in the corners of the mouth and a crimson coloration of the tongue.

• Hormonal changes. Chronic liver disease can lead to the development of hormonal imbalance, which is accompanied by hair loss in the armpits and pubic area. In men, the level of androgens decreases and signs of feminization appear - testicular atrophy, female-type hair growth, decreased libido and impotence. An increase in estrogen levels in women can provoke the appearance of a rash, worsen the symptoms of PMS, cause the development of hormone-dependent tumors, etc.
• Tendency to bleed. Long-term disturbances in the functioning of the liver (for example, with hepatitis) can lead to a decrease in the synthesis of many blood clotting factors. In such cases, the patient may experience various types of spontaneous internal bleeding (stomach, intestinal, etc.) and experience heavy menstruation, a tendency to bleeding gums, etc.
• Bleeding from the veins of the esophagus. With cirrhosis of the liver, there is an increase in pressure in the portal vein (portal hypertension), which can lead to bleeding from the veins of the esophagus. The patient begins to discharge dark blood from the mouth (sometimes in the form of clots). This symptom is often mistaken by some patients for signs of bleeding from the stomach or respiratory organs.
• Symptom "jellyfish head". The appearance of this symptom is associated with the development of portal hypertension that accompanies liver cirrhosis. As a result, dilated and clearly visible veins appear on the anterior abdominal wall.
• Disorders of the nervous system. Acute and chronic liver pathologies are accompanied by a slowdown in the processes of decontamination and removal of ammonia from the body. The entry of this substance into the blood leads to the development of various neurological disorders: severe fatigue, drowsiness, sleep disturbances, excessive anxiety or lethargy, memory impairment, personality changes, etc.
• Intoxication. Liver dysfunction caused by infectious, immune and tumor processes leads to the development of intoxication. Patients develop the following complaints and symptoms: fatigue, loss of appetite, pain in joints and muscles, fever, coating on the tongue and weight loss.

All of the above symptoms may indicate the presence of liver pathologies and are a reason to consult a gastroenterologist or hepatologist. After examining and interviewing the patient, the specialist will be able to draw up the most effective plan for further examination, allowing for an accurate diagnosis. For this purpose, the patient may be recommended to carry out such laboratory and instrumental research methods.

Liver diseases in children can be hereditary or acquired, and can manifest or occur at any age. In the first month of life, a child may develop symptoms of hepatomegaly - moderate enlargement of the liver in children is a condition of the body, not a disease. It passes by the age of two months, while pathological changes in the organ itself do not occur. In the first two weeks after birth, a newborn may have jaundice: this is normal and does not pose a threat to health.

Liver diseases such as:

It manifests itself as yellowing of the skin of the face, chest, abdomen from the chest to the navel and eye sclera, and occurs in 50% of babies. It is important to prevent the transition from physiological to pathological, so that this does not lead to complications.

Infant jaundice occurs for natural reasons: due to a conflict between the Rh factor of the mother and baby; discrepancies between their blood groups (which is rare); premature birth, as a result of which the composition of the baby’s blood changes more slowly.

When the baby takes his first breath with his lungs, a change in the composition of the blood occurs: in a premature baby, the body is not yet strong, and bilirubin is processed less well, its excess leads to a temporary coloration of the skin and whites of the eyes yellow. At this time, the liver of a still weak child is overloaded, and there is a risk of physiological jaundice turning into pathological.

For natural (neonatal) jaundice:

• the skin of a newborn acquires a yellow tint no earlier than 36 hours after birth;
• bilirubin levels should decrease every day;
• The yellowness becomes most intense on the third day - after this time the skin begins to lighten.

After 2 (maximum 4) weeks, the yellowness should disappear completely. All this time the child should be active, eat and sleep well.

Symptoms of pathological jaundice in a newborn:

• Yellowing of the skin just a few hours after birth;
• Yellow skin on the arms, legs, feet and hands;
• Frequent crying;
• Lethargy, constant drowsiness;
• Poor appetite to the point of refusing food;
• Dark colored urine;
• Colorless feces;
• Noticeably enlarged liver;
• The shade of yellow is not lemon, but greenish.

If these signs occur, you should immediately go to the hospital to measure and monitor the dynamics of bilirubin levels, undergo an ultrasound of the liver to detect damage to the bile ducts and impaired bile outflow, and take liver tests of ALT and AST.

If a baby has physiological jaundice, he is prescribed glucose preparations, vitamins, and herbal medicine to support the body.

In order to reduce bilirubin levels, phototherapy is recommended - spending a certain time under the light of green and blue lamps. A nursing mother is prescribed a special diet to reduce the fat content of milk so that a weakened baby does not have digestive problems.

In order to prevent pathological jaundice in infants, bilirubin is regularly measured in the first days of life, and parents should monitor changes in skin color in the child. In severe cases, surgery, blood transfusions and other procedures in a hospital setting are prescribed.

Hepatitis (jaundice)

If, against the background of yellowing of the skin, a child exhibits manifestations unusual for physiological jaundice, this indicates a genetic pathology or the development of jaundice due to mechanical injuries received during the passage of the birth canal. The disease may also have a viral origin.

If pathological jaundice is not detected in a newborn child in time, this can lead to the penetration of bilirubin into the brain and the development of kernicterus, the consequences of which are damage to the central nervous system, delayed physical development, and mental retardation. The child probably loses coordination of movements. General intoxication of the body can lead to death.

Viral hepatitis

They are transmitted to the baby from an infected mother during childbirth; an older child can catch the virus during contact with a sick person. there is a chance of becoming infected at the dentist, during vaccination in a clinic or surgical treatment in a hospital: the virus persists on poorly sterilized instruments.

Toxic hepatitis

Occurs as a result of drug overdose, poisoning with household chemicals, food poisoning. In adolescent children, it can develop due to the consumption of alcoholic beverages.

Autoimmune hepatitis

A pathology in which liver cells are destroyed by a person’s own immune system. In a child’s not fully formed body, the progressive process of damage to one of the main hematopoietic organs occurs faster than in an adult. Liver tissue dies and is replaced by scar tissue, leading to cirrhosis.

Fatty hepatitis

Occurs in children suffering from obesity and pancreatic diseases. The liver tissues degenerate due to the accumulation of fat in them, and the organ begins to function inadequately.

Every third child of preschool age suffers from giardiasis. Children under 3 years of age experience the disease with difficulty, since at this age, when infected, a high temperature rises, severe nausea appears, and vomiting occurs.

absorb nutrients from the blood, releasing toxins into it in return. The child’s immunity decreases, he begins to experience weakness, and there is a lack of appetite. A weakened body becomes vulnerable to colds and inflammatory diseases, and bronchial asthma and allergies may develop.

You can suspect giardiasis in a child by frequent, greasy, foul-smelling stools.

Biliary obstruction

It is a blockage of the bile ducts. It is almost impossible to cure an infant with such a pathology - a liver transplant is necessary, the consequence of which can be cirrhosis. The causes can be both congenital pathology and mechanical injuries during childbirth.

Tumor diseases

Oncological neoplasms in liver tissue are very dangerous for children. This happens rarely; according to statistics, childhood liver cancer accounts for only 4% of all cases of such diseases in the population, but in 70% of cases of tumors in the liver tissue in children, these are malignant formations. The most common cause is advanced hepatitis B and C.

Liver disorders

Almost all liver diseases in children have symptoms similar to various diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and other organs. If a child has risk factors for liver disease, then the following symptoms should be given importance:

• Jaundice discoloration of the skin and yellowness of the sclera;
• Constantly maintaining low-grade fever from 37.1°C to 38°C without signs of colds and pain - this indicates sluggish latent inflammatory processes, which is typical for liver pathologies;
• Dark colored urine;
• Colorless feces;
• Nausea;
• Lack of appetite.

The child may feel heaviness in the right hypochondrium, bitterness in the mouth, become lethargic and physically unbearable, and experience general malaise.

In children 5-7 years old, the biliary system is actively developing. In this regard, moderate hepatomegaly may be observed - a small but palpable enlargement of the liver. The child may experience mild discomfort and the skin may turn yellow. This is explained by age-related physiology, and does not indicate illness. There is no need for any treatment, but the diet indicated for liver diseases in children will not be superfluous.

Treatment and prevention

Treatment of liver diseases in children can be conservative or surgical. Antibiotics are prescribed for inflammation; for hepatitis, cirrhosis - hepatoprotectors; in necessary cases - choleretic agents. Laparoscopy is performed - a bloodless operation, and, if necessary, an abdominal operation.

Preventive measures are aimed at maintaining the immunity of a child's growing body and tissue formation. The menu should include vegetables, herbs, fruits, dairy products - cottage cheese, yoghurts. Nutrition must be complete, the child must follow a meal schedule - breakfast, lunch and dinner must be on time.

The article will tell you what symptoms may indicate that a child has liver pain, and what reasons this pain may be caused. First aid for pain in the liver can be provided exclusively by specialists, and after

If pain occurs in the liver area, you should pay close attention to its size. If it is enlarged, even to a slight extent, then this may be a sign of various diseases of this organ. In normal condition, the liver should not protrude beyond the ribs.

When a child has liver pain, he quickly gets tired, refuses to eat, and becomes nervous and irritable.

If at the same time the skin tone changes (it turns yellow), and peculiar “stars” of blood vessels are found in the abdominal area, itching appears, then this indicates the need to contact a pediatrician as quickly as possible.

Symptoms of liver diseases

As a rule, liver enlargement alone is not enough to accurately determine the diagnosis. There are other symptoms that should never be ignored. These include a feeling of pain, heaviness after eating in the area of ​​the right hypochondrium, bitterness in the mouth, giving an unpleasant taste to any product, nausea and vomiting.

Be that as it may, first aid for pain in the liver can be provided exclusively by specialists, and after all examinations have been completed and the necessary tests have been taken. Therefore, the primary task of parents is to contact a medical facility in a timely manner.

During the examination, the pediatrician must feel the tummy, checking whether it is enlarged baby liver. Disturbances in its functioning affect the entire child’s body.

Why is the baby yellow

The child was born pink, and by the day he was discharged from the hospital, his skin for some reason became yellowish. No surprise - neonatal jaundice, changing skin tone, is confirmation that by the time of birth baby liver didn't have time to develop. The culprit is bilirubin, a pigment formed after the destruction of old red blood cells. The liver must “utilize” bilirubin and remove it from the body along with bile. If it fails to cope with this task, the pigment accumulates in the blood and turns the skin yellowish. This happens on the 3-4th day after birth and in most cases ends within ten days.

Everyone has children with jaundice They take a blood test for bilirubin and use its level to determine what led to the disorder. If the indicators are within normal limits, treatment will not be needed. The doctor will advise you to give the baby food more often in order to quickly “flush” bilirubin from the intestines.

If there is a lot of pigment, it means work is in progress. baby's liver there are violations, then doctors talk about pathological jaundice, which requires treatment. Its causes can be very different, from untreated mother’s infections (herpes, cytomegalovirus) to incompatibility of the blood of a woman and a child by group or Rh factor.

Hepatitis A and E

In total, 7 types of hepatitis are known - A, B, C, D, E, G, TTV. Children are more often affected by acute hepatitis A and E, accompanied by disruption of all processes in the body.

Pathogen hepatitis A common in our climate, hepatitis E brought from hot countries. Both are transmitted through airborne droplets and dirty hands. A negligibly small dose of virus-containing material – rodent feces, blood and saliva of a sick person – is enough for infection to occur.

Symptoms hepatitis A and E are the same: the child begins to experience nausea, vomiting, pain in the liver area, feces become white, urine dark brown. Over the course of several days, the signs increase, and when a yellow tint to the skin appears, they weaken. An accurate diagnosis is made on the basis of a biochemical blood test; the test shows an increased level of bilirubin and excessive activity of liver aminotransferases - enzymes that accelerate the biosynthesis and breakdown of amino acids. The examination also includes identification of specific markers of hepatitis, ultrasound of the liver and abdominal organs.

Viral hepatitis A and E They are treated at home, isolating the sick child from others. In severe cases, hospitalization is required. The basis of therapy is bed rest (the liver generally loves rest) and the so-called “liver table” - diet No. 5, which limits animal fats and foods with a high content of extractive substances (broth, pepper, mustard, garlic). Alkaline mineral waters and light choleretic agents (decoction of corn silk, flax seed, milk thistle) help. If itching occurs, take warm baths with soda and menthol. Wipe the skin with two percent salicylic or menthol alcohol.

The criterion for recovery is the disappearance of clinical signs of the disease and normalization of laboratory parameters. Prevention of viral hepatitis A and E– adherence to general rules of hygiene: it is necessary to wash your hands before eating, thoroughly rinse vegetables and fruits, and do not give your child meat and fish processed in violation of the rules. Vaccination and isolation of a sick child from peers protect against germs - quarantine is imposed for 35 days.

Diagnosis of liver diseases

Statistics indicate difficulties in deciphering liver diseases in children 2-5 years old, admitted to hospital with suspected viral hepatitis. Upon careful examination, they are found to have other diseases - acute respiratory infections, intestinal infections, inflammation of the urinary tract, and less often - acute appendicitis, diseases of the cardiovascular system, helminthiasis. The reason is that all these conditions cause similar symptoms - nausea, vomiting, constipation, headache.

The situation also has a downside: while eliminating imaginary diseases, you may not notice a problem with the liver. For a long time, the only external sign of malfunction liver in children an increase in its size and slight changes in the spleen were considered. A blood test from a vein will help clarify the picture.

In recent decades, hundreds of new hereditary diseases have been discovered that arise as a result of structural disorders of the genes responsible for liver function. As it recently became known, liver dysfunction is indicated by convulsions, sluggish sucking, drowsiness, impaired muscle tone, and delayed psychomotor development. Symptoms appear immediately after birth and accumulate. The diagnosis is made by a combination of symptoms.

The correct regime and balanced nutrition can lead to the fact that the hereditary predisposition never manifests itself. On the contrary, a violation of a healthy lifestyle is fraught with the risk that congenital liver defects will lead to rapid deterioration.

Liver transplantation

For congenital and perinatal liver diseases The development of acute, more often chronic, liver failure is characteristic. Young children make up about 50% of those in need of organ transplantation. The most promising method is related liver transplantation. More than 35 years of global and 15 years of domestic experience indicate a good prognosis after transplantation. Over time, the operated children will be able to lead a normal life - attend preschool and school institutions, health and sports sections. Girls who have been operated on will subsequently have no contraindications to pregnancy.