Rational approach to a child with elevated aminotransferases
Autori:
Oleg Jadrešin, Danijela Petković Ramadža, Alemka Jaklin Kekez, Goran Tešović, Orjena Žaja
Sažetak
Summary
Etiology of chronic liver diseases in children differs from adults, with up to 20-30% of rare genetic and metabolic disorders. A child with elevated liver enzymes needs to be cautiously followed, blood tests need to be repeated within 2-3 week interval and further diagnostics should be done in case of persistence of elevated transaminases. After exclusion of muscular origin of aminotransferases initial evaluation should include serology to hepatotropic viruses, liver synthetic function tests, and abdominal ultrasound. In the case of clinical suspicion further specific investigations should be done as well. Viral infections are the most frequent causes of transient
aminotransferase elevation in children. When evaluating persisting pathologic liver tests treatable diseases (with pharmaco- or dietotherapy) should always be excluded and chronic viral hepatitis, autoimmune liver disease, celiac disease and Wilson’s disease should be searched for. In infancy differential diagnosis should always include inherited metabolic diseases. They should also be considered beyond infancy, especially if hypertransaminasemia is episodic, or if there is a history of metabolic crises accompanied by hypoglycemia, ketoacidosis, lactic acidosis and hyperammonemia or the course is recurrent. Although metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease is the most common cause of prolonged elevation of aminotransferases in children, concomitant chronic liver disease
should be excluded in overweight children as well (autoimmune liver disease, celiac disease, Wilson’s disease, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency).