Pediatric Acute Liver Failure & Immune Dysregulation
Acute liver failure (ALF) is a fast accelerating process with high
morbidity and mortality. In recent years, more research has gone into
investigating the immune component of ALF, especially in
indeterminate-pediatric acute liver failure (I-PALF) where most common
etiologies of ALF including viral, vascular, metabolic, drugs/toxins are
ruled out and no definitive precipitating cause could be found. I-PALF
accounts for over 30% of cases of PALF. Recent studies have revealed
evidence towards immune-mediated processes in I-PALF. In addition,
I-PALF patients are more likely to develop aplastic anemia, which by
itself is a disease process also mediated by immune dysregulation