Characteristics of clinical and anamnestic data and of condition of primary hemostasis in chronic diseases of liver in children

Aim. To perform a comparative analysis of clinical and anamnestic data and of the condition of primary hemostasis in chronic liver diseases in children and to identify additional informative diagnostic criteria that reflect severity of the course of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) and chronic viral hepatitis C (CVHC) in children.

Materials and Methods. 91 Patients from 3 to 7 years old were examined, of them: 60 children with AIH and 31 children with CVHC. The control group included 15 children of I and II health groups. In all the patients the clinic-anamnestic data and the condition of the primary hemostasis were evaluated. Concentrations of endothelin-1 and homocysteine, activity of Willebrand factor, amount of platelets and their aggregation activity were determined.

Results. AIH is characterized by a more aggressive course as compared to CVHC manifested by clinical signs of a severe liver damage, significant biochemical changes and a high rate of fibrosis within the first two years. In all the children there were found disorders in the primary hemostasis interrelated with the main clinical and laboratory syndromes reflecting the severity of the liver damage. AIH is characterized by a higher concentration of homocysteine (р=0.007) and of the activity of Willebrand factor (р=0.037) in comparison with CVHC.

Conclusions. Signs of a severe liver damage are not characteristic of children with CVHC in the first 10 years of the disease, however, disorders of the primary hemostasis are present characterized by hyperaggregation of platelets and by endothelial dysfunction. AIH in children is characterized by aggressive course and more pronounced deviations of the primary hemostasis in comparison with CVHC. In AIH and CVHC, the pathology of the primary hemostasis is closely related to some clinical-laboratory symptoms that reflect severity of the disease.