Biliary Atresia: Symptoms And Treatment
The exact causes of this disease have not yet been adequately researched. Some scientists assume that babies are born with it. Others, on the other hand, see the causes in exposure to pollutants or infection.
A biliary atresia is a chronic, progressive liver disease that is significantly shortly after birth. The liver contains bile ducts that transport bile to certain parts of the body: to digest fats in the duodenum or to store them in the gallbladder.
Bile is essential for proper digestion. It also transports waste from the liver to the intestines and kidneys to be eliminated. With biliary atresia , the bile ducts are blocked. Therefore, the bile cannot be transported to the liver, which damages the liver and also negatively affects numerous vital body functions.
Biliary atresia is the leading cause of liver transplantation in children in the United States. This occurs in 1 in 18,000 births, with the disease occurring more frequently in women than in men. In addition, Asian, African-American, and premature babies are more likely to suffer from it than Caucasian children.
Causes of biliary atresia
The cause of this disease is still largely unknown. Some researchers assume that babies are born with this disease and that it therefore develops during pregnancy while the liver is developing.
However, other experts believe that biliary atresia does not develop until after birth. Infections or exposure to pollutants could be related.
It is believed that this disease is fundamentally unrelated to any medication that the expectant mother takes during pregnancy. Nor should it be related to possible illnesses of the mother or other circumstances during pregnancy.
It is not known whether there are genetic causes for biliary atresia to develop. It is good to know that it is very unlikely that this disease will recur within the same family.
Symptoms of biliary atresia
Newborns with this disease often do not show any symptoms. But from the second or third week of life, jaundice occurs, which can be recognized by the yellow-colored skin and the mucous membranes.
The baby can gain weight normally in the first month of life. But after this time it will decrease, become more irritable, and the jaundice will worsen. In addition, the following symptoms may occur:
- Slow growth
- Pale or beige stools
- Dark urine
- No or very little weight gain
- Splenomegaly (enlarged spleen)
Treatment of biliary atresia
Treatment of biliary atresia is controversial as 80 to 85% of affected children will sooner or later need a transplant.
As mentioned earlier, it is an irreversible disease and there is no drug therapy to clear the bile ducts or encourage the development of new bile ducts. Most of the time, the doctors treating you decide to have a Kasai operation.
But this is controversial. Many experts defend this operation as the first treatment, while others advocate a transplant as the first option.
Kasai operation
This technique was developed by the Japanese pediatric surgeon Morio Kasai. The goal is to move the bile from the bile ducts in the liver directly into the intestines. This operation is more successful if it is performed before the affected child is three months old.
This allows the child to grow and enjoy relatively good health for many years. However, one must also take into account that cholestasis (bile congestion) could occur, which in turn can damage the liver.
Liver transplant
In this case, the diseased liver is replaced by someone else’s healthy liver. An organ donor donates the new organ after death or a compatible family member can donate part of their own liver.
The child’s health usually improves quickly after surgery , but the child will need medicines to prevent the transplant from being rejected. Because this is a normal protective mechanism of the body that is automatically used to defend itself against viruses, tumors or other foreign bodies.
