OBJECTIVE:

The study was aimed to determine the frequency of hepatotrophs (A, B & C) in hepatic encephalopathy and their outcomes in indoor patients in pediatrics population at tertiary care children hospital.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis, a general term referring to inflammation of the liver, may result from various causes, both infectious (i.e. viral, bacterial, fungal, and parasitic organisms) and noninfectious (e.g. alcohol, drugs, autoimmune diseases, and metabolic diseases); Viral hepatitis has emerged as a major public health issue and posed enormous burden over health systems in Pakistan.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross sectional study was carried out at Pediatric ward of Children Hospital, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University, Larkana from  May 2017 to November 2017. Using a non-probability consecutive sampling method, 116 patients aged 1-15 years were included in the study. Continuous variables like age, duration of illness, height and weight were calculated as mean and standard variation. The data was analyzed on SPSS version 23.

RESULTS: In the present study, the mean age was 6.20±3.57 years, mean duration of illness was 9.86±4.15 days. It was observed that 19% had jaundice, 83.6% subjects had fever, and 33.6% patients expired within 3 days. Most of the patients ( 49.1%) were found with grade II hepatic encephalopathy.  The chi square association showed that there was a significant association of hepatitis viruses with hepatic encephalitis.

CONCLUSION: The results of our investigation showed that Hepatitis virus B was more prevalent than Hepatitis virus A and Hepatitis virus C. Poor outcomes, such as mortality, are related with gender, age, BMI, and grades of hepatic encephalopathy. Given that viral hepatitis was the most prevalent etiological agent, it is important to note that straightforward measures, such as bettering sanitary practices and immunization coverage, can significantly reduce the poor outcome.

KEYWORDS: Hepatotrophs (A, B & C), Hepatic Encephalopathy, Pediatrics