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Liver Function in Children

Many of us associate liver disease as an adult problem. This simply is not true. The American Liver Association reports that 15,000 children are hospitalized each year with a liver-related illness. The liver is a complex organ that performs more than 500 vital functions in the human body. Not only does it work the same way in adults and children, but children are prone to the same liver diseases as adults, too.

  1. Functions

    • The liver serves many different functions in the human body from storing energy from food, to making protein, and eliminating toxins from the body. The liver is also responsible for producing bile, a fluid that helps digest foods.

    Blood Supply

    • The liver holds about 13 percent of the body's blood supply. Oxygen-rich blood is delivered to the liver while blood high in nutrients flows from the liver to the rest of the body.

    Fuel

    • Once in the liver, the nutrients in the blood can be broken down further and distributed to the different systems in the body. Proteins are produced for blood plasma, energy is stored, and bacteria is removed from the bloodstream.

    Signs and Symptoms of Damage

    • Jaundice--yellowish skin and eyes--dark urine, nausea and abdominal swelling could be symptoms of liver damage or disease. A simple blood test, called a hepatic function panel, can diagnose a problem. According to the American Liver Foundation, out of all of the diseases that affect children, only one in 2,500 are diagnosed with liver disease.

    Liver Disease

    • The disorders that cause liver disease in adults are the same ones that cause liver disease in children. Doctors at the Children's Hospital in Boston report that each week several children are diagnosed with liver disease. These children are often overweight, pre-diabetic or diabetic, and have high cholesterol levels.

    Biliary Atresia

    • Though rare, some infants can be born with bile ducts that are not fully formed, according to Cincinnati's Children's Hospital. Biliary atresia is a rare disease that exclusively affects infants between two and eight weeks old. When bile gets trapped inside the liver, liver failure can occur.

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