To date, an enlarged liver in a child is a fairly common pathology. However, to recognize an ailment that causes a change in the size of the organ is not as simple as it seems. The liver is located in the upper right abdominal cavity. Its increase can be determined by a pediatrician during a routine examination. This symptom may indicate a number of diseases of a different nature. Let us consider in detail the causes that provoke an increase in this organ, as well as the symptoms of this ailment.
Signs
An enlarged liver in a child may be accompanied by a number of concomitant symptoms. First of all, you should pay attention to the color of the skin and mucous membranes of the baby. With liver pathology, they acquire a yellowish tint. Vascular asterisks are often formed in the abdomen . An enlarged liver in a child causes pain under the ribs on the right side and a feeling of heaviness. Possible loss of appetite, bitterness in the mouth (especially after eating), vomiting, nausea, and excessive fatigue. A more detailed examination reveals a bleeding disorder. With a serious complication of the disease, liver failure develops , characterized by accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity. As a result, the babyβs stomach increases noticeably, and the navel protrudes outward. With ascites or liver failure, the baby's stool becomes almost colorless.
Enlarged liver in a child. Causes
Perhaps the most common disease that causes an increase in this organ is a tumor. However, cholecystitis is often diagnosed in children prone to various emotional and somatic disorders - allergies and neuroses. An enlarged liver in a child in the first days of life, accompanied by a yellow tinge of the skin, as a rule, indicates the presence of jaundice. However, this symptom can also indicate other dangerous ailments - metabolic disorders, viral hepatitis, etc. Also, the most common causes of this symptom include viral diseases, cholestatic disorders, thickening of bile, hepatitis, cystic fibrosis. An enlarged liver in a baby often occurs with certain hereditary pathologies: diabetes, metabolic disorders (protein, carbohydrate, fat), as well as a result of toxic effects on the young body (parenteral nutrition, drugs, hypervitaminosis). Quite often, this symptom is a consequence of the abnormal structure of the organ, leading to disruption of its work. Why does the child have an enlarged liver? In some cases, pathology occurs when the organ is damaged by helminths.
Treatment
Only after a thorough medical examination and diagnosis can treatment be prescribed. Depending on the cause of this disorder, a specific therapy is prescribed. In some cases, the patient requires surgery. However, most often the treatment of diseases that cause liver enlargement boils down to diet and drug therapy.