EVIDENCE OF IMPAIRED ANTIGEN NON-SPECIFIC BUT NORMAL ANTIGEN SPECIFIC SUPPRESSOR FUNCTION IN CHILDREN WITH AUTOMMUNE CHRONIC ACTIVE HEPATITIS |[lpar]|aCAH|[rpar]|

摘要

Different factors like parenteral nutrition, infusion of fat emulsions, short gestational age, low apgar scores, late enteral feeding, and infections are discussed in the genesis of “idiopathic” neonatal cholestasis. To test the hypothesis that bacterial infections are the main cause of cholestasis in intravenously fed infants two groups were studied retrospectively. Group I: 152 newborn infants who were born from 1973 till 1981 were fed intravenously for at least 7 days and developed severe bacterial infections. Group II: 92 newborn infants who were matched to the group I cases with respect to the year of birth, birth weight and gestational age, apgar scores and duration of parenteral nutrition but did not develop infections. Bacterial infections were diagnosed on the basis of impaired microcirculation with prolonged capillary filling time, shift to the left in the white differential and positive blood culture. Diagnosis of cholestasis was made at total bilirubin of ?4 mg/dl with a portion of ?40 % conjugated bilirubin. Results: All tO cases of cholestasis were found in group I. All other above mentioned factors were distributed equally to both groups and could not be attributed as a major factor in the etiology of idiopathic neonatal cholestasis. Conclusion: Bacterial infections were the main cause of neonatal cholestasis.