Patient's question:
I only found out two days ago that my sister's child has biliary atresia. I'm very worried about my nephew's condition. I don't know how the child is doing now. Since I'm away, I can't visit him. I'm asking if biliary atresia causes a decrease in direct bilirubin?Doctor's answer:
Hello! Congenital biliary atresia is one of the most important digestive surgical diseases in pediatric surgery and also the most common indication for pediatric liver transplantation. Typical cases involve infants who are full-term and most show no abnormalities, with normal stool color. Jaundice usually gradually appears 2-3 weeks after birth, and in some cases, jaundice occurs in the first few days of life and is initially misdiagnosed as physiological jaundice. Elevated bilirubin is primarily due to direct bilirubin.