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Pediatric Liver Disease in Latin America

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Pediatric Hepatology and Liver Transplantation

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Abstract

LA is a conglomerate of adjacent countries whose official languages (Spanish and Portuguese) evolved from Latin. Its population represents 8.55% of the total world population. Different levels of medical complexity even within one same country are the main factors that have led to different medical developments. Particular genetics and environmental and socioeconomic factors play a key role in the different characteristics of PLD of this population. The registries of different pathologies are scarce because few countries keep regular records. Over the last decades, NAFLD and NASH have been considered a common cause of liver disease and have emerged as the leading cause of chronic liver disease in children and adolescents. Between 5% and 10% of the pediatric population in LA may be experiencing NAFLD/NASH due to overweight. There is a lack of governmental support, and not all of the countries provide universal health coverage for transplantation, with only eight countries having reported transplantation. Due to a delay in diagnosis and nonavailability of liver transplantation in many countries, a significant proportion of children develop end-stage liver disease and its complications. Transplant registries are still scarce because few countries keep a regular record of donations and transplantation availability. Social and economic disparities within the countries can explain the concentration of LT in centers located in regions with higher economic power. Liver transplantation is mainly related to living donors and is not accessible to a large proportion of the population because of financial constraints and a lack of expertise.

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Acknowledgment

To our families, colleagues, and patients; to Josefina Martinelli, who has greatly contributed to the writing of this chapter; and to the ones who trusted us to represent Latin America in this book.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine, USAL University, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Daniel D’Agostino, Maria Camila Sanchez & Gustavo Boldrini

  2. Division of Pediatric GI and Hepatology, Pediatric Liver and Intestinal Transplantation Program, Hospital Italiano, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Daniel D’Agostino, Maria Camila Sanchez & Gustavo Boldrini

  3. Department of Pediatrics, Hospital Italiano, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Daniel D’Agostino, Maria Camila Sanchez & Gustavo Boldrini

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  1. Daniel D’Agostino
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Correspondence to Daniel D’Agostino .

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  1. Paediatric Hepatology, Gastroenterology and Transplantation, Hospital Papa Giovanni XXIII Bergamo, Bergamo, Italy

    Lorenzo D'Antiga

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D’Agostino, D., Sanchez, M.C., Boldrini, G. (2019). Pediatric Liver Disease in Latin America. In: D'Antiga, L. (eds) Pediatric Hepatology and Liver Transplantation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96400-3_39

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