What diseases can the enlarged liver indicate in a child?

To date, an enlarged liver in a child is a fairly common pathology. However, recognizing the ailment causing a change in the size of the organ is not as simple as it seems. The liver is located in the upper right part of the abdominal cavity. Her increase is able to identify a pediatrician with an ordinary examination. This sign may indicate a number of diseases of a different nature. Let's consider in detail the reasons provoking increase of this body, and also symptoms of the given illness.

Symptoms

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 hue. In the abdomen often formed vascular asterisks. An enlarged liver in a child causes pain under the ribs on the right side and a feeling of heaviness. Possible worsening of appetite, the appearance of bitterness in the mouth (especially after eating), vomiting, nausea and excessive fatigue. A more detailed examination reveals a clotting disorder. In severe complications of the disease, hepatic failure develops , characterized by accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity. As a result, the belly of the baby increases noticeably, and the navel protrudes outward. In 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 body is a tumor. However, often cholecystitis is diagnosed in children exposed to various emotional and somatic disorders - allergies and neuroses. Enlarged liver in a child in the first days of life, accompanied by a yellow shade of skin, usually 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, bile thickening, hepatitis, cystic fibrosis. Enlargement of the liver in a baby often occurs with certain hereditary pathologies: diabetes, metabolic disorders (protein, carbohydrate, fat), and as a result of toxic effects on the young organism (parenteral nutrition, drugs, hypervitaminosis). Quite often, this sign is a consequence of the anomalous structure of the organ, which leads to a violation of its work. Why does the child have a liver? In some cases, pathology occurs when the organ is affected by helminths.

Treatment

Only after a thorough medical examination and diagnosis can be prescribed treatment. Depending on the cause that caused this disorder, a certain therapy is prescribed. In some cases, the patient requires surgery. However, most often the treatment of diseases that cause liver enlargement is reduced to diet and medication.