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How To Check For Liver Dysfunction In An Infant?

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Posted on Mon, 17 Nov 2014
Question: Hi, my ten month old grandson has been living with me for 2 months. when he was born they said he was a bit Jauntice. He has a low grade fever almost everyday, 99.4. He is teething, and has two teeth. His face is pale and has a yellow tint, a little redness around his eyes at time . on occation his abdoman has been very hard. he has constipation and we give him diluted prune juice to help this . his stools are black in color. He eats alot, weighs 23 lbs and is a very happy baby. My daughter has just gotten a new pediatrician, but we can't get a first appoint till his year check-up, that will be XXXXXXX 2. could this be a liver problem? What are your thoughts?
Should we be concerned and take him to urgent care sooner?
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Answered by Dr. Diptanshu Das (1 hour later)
Brief Answer:
Get investigations done and report

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for asking on Healthcaremagic. I have a few queries:
1. Birth weight of the child and present weight. Was the child born pretetm and if so, how early.
2. The food habits of the child.
3. Nature of stool.

I will also request you to get the following investigations done:
1. Blood for serum bilirubin, haemoglobin, total count, differential count.

I would be better able to help you with the above details and reports. Let me mention that the jaundice that he suffered earlier is no way related to today's condition. There is an entity called physiological jaundice which occurs in newborns around 3-5 days of life. The foetus has a higher haemoglobin concentration than its mother so that it can extract oxygen from the mother. This extra haemoglobin is no longer required after birth and breaks down to bilirubin and gives rise to jaundice. It is normal and not a cause of concern. In today's scenario it is irrelevant and we will have to keep worms and infective hepatitis in mind.
Note: For further queries related to your child health, Talk to a Pediatrician. Click here to Book a Consultation.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Bhagyalaxmi Nalaparaju
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Answered by
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Dr. Diptanshu Das

Pediatrician

Practicing since :2005

Answered : 3878 Questions

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How To Check For Liver Dysfunction In An Infant?

Brief Answer: Get investigations done and report Detailed Answer: Thanks for asking on Healthcaremagic. I have a few queries: 1. Birth weight of the child and present weight. Was the child born pretetm and if so, how early. 2. The food habits of the child. 3. Nature of stool. I will also request you to get the following investigations done: 1. Blood for serum bilirubin, haemoglobin, total count, differential count. I would be better able to help you with the above details and reports. Let me mention that the jaundice that he suffered earlier is no way related to today's condition. There is an entity called physiological jaundice which occurs in newborns around 3-5 days of life. The foetus has a higher haemoglobin concentration than its mother so that it can extract oxygen from the mother. This extra haemoglobin is no longer required after birth and breaks down to bilirubin and gives rise to jaundice. It is normal and not a cause of concern. In today's scenario it is irrelevant and we will have to keep worms and infective hepatitis in mind.