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