Infant Liver Problem?

Question

Hey, my neighbor's 2-month-old son is in the hospital. He had his checkup on Tuesday, and they found that instead of gaining 3 lbs (like he should've), he had only gained 2 ounces. They said that something is wrong with his liver. Does anyone here have a clue what he might have? I'd just like to know for my own personal knowledge. Thanks

Answer 1

Not enough information to answer this question. There are many liver issues that the infant may have that will also affect his weight. The most common cause would be "newborn jaundice". Treatment is usually quite simple and involves placing the baby under a "bili-light" until the high levels of bilirubin in his blood return to normal.

A few of the other causes are:
homocystinuria
tyrosinemia
carnitine-acylcarnitine translocase deficiency
long-chain hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency
medium-chain ketoacyl-CoA thiolase deficiency
mitochondrial trifunctional protein deficiency
multiple acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency
cobalamin A,B cofactor deficiency