Severe acute liver failure related to viral, toxic or autoimmune hepatitis : a review of 27 cases

الملخص EN

Introduction: Numerous etiologies of hepatitis may lead to acute liver failure.

Viruses are the most common cause of hepatitis.

Other causes include toxins and autoimmune liver disease.

These forms of hepatitis share the same clinical and biological features.

Patients and methods: Retrospective study between 2006 and 2013 of children diagnosed with acute liver failure secondary to infection with viruses, hepatotoxic drugs and toxins or autoimmunity.

Results: Twenty-seven children were included in the study.

The mean age was 6-year-old (range: 16-day-old to 13-year-old).

The common symptom at diagnosis was weakness and anorexia in 85% followed by jaundice (66 %) and fever (37%).

Hepatic encephalopathy occurred in 44 %.

Viral hepatitis was the commonest etiology in 74 % of cases followed by auto-immune hepatitis (18,5%) than by toxic hepatitis (7,5 %).

The outcome was good in 74 % of cases with normalization of hepatic tests.

A fatal outcome was found in 26 % of cases.

Conclusion: The search for causes of acute liver failure should be done urgently.

Early and well-conduced management may improve the outcome.