Essential fatty acid status in infants and children with chronic liver disease

The relationship between essential fatty acid [EFA] status and degree of hyperbilirubinaemia and oxidant stress in infants and children with chronic liver diseases was evaluated. Thirty patients with chronic cholestasis and 30 with liver cirrhosis were examined; 30 healthy subjects served as controls. Patient groups had significant decreases in EFAs and significant elevation of total bilirubin. Levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances were significantly raised and were significantly inversely correlated to decreased EFA levels. There were also significant decreases in retinol, alpha-tocopherol and alpha-tocopherol/total lipids ratio, which had significant positive correlations with decreased EFA levels. Infants and children with chronic liver diseases have a high risk of EFA deficiency correlated with progressive elevation of serum bilirubin and progressive deterioration of oxidant status

An outbreak of veno-occlusive disease of the liver in northern Iraq

This paper describes an outbreak of veno-occlusive disease of the liver which occurred in Mosul, northern Iraq in 1994. It was caused by the consumption of wheat accidentally contaminated with Senecio seeds which produced toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids. The outbreak involved 14 people [eight males and six females] who were members of three Bedouin families. Half of the cases were under the age of 15 years. The striking clinical features were abdominal pain, rapidly filling ascites and hepatomegaly. Two deaths occurred during hospitalization, with an estimated case fatality rate of 14%