Conditions

Conditions We Treat

• Biliary Atresia

  Biliary atresia is a chronic, progressive liver problem that becomes evident shortly after birth. It presents as jaundice and requires immediate surgery and in many cases a liver transplantation. Our Hepatology Program team manages the medical and surgical care as well as long term management of this condition.

• Fatty Liver

  This is a chronic silent liver disease mostly associated with excessive weight gain; if untreated may cause cirrhosis and liver cancer. Lifestyle changes, intense counseling and monitoring are necessary. Collaboration with the Obesity Program, Psychiatry and Nutrition are essential, and Children’s National offers those services.

• Hypertension

  High blood pressure, or hypertension, means that there is higher than normal pressure inside the arteries either during systole (when the heart contracts and pumps blood through the body), or during diastole (when the heart is at rest and is filling with blood).

• Infectious and Autoimmune Hepatitis

  Hepatitis B (HBV) and Hepatitis C (HCV) have a wide range of clinical presentations. It can be mild, without symptoms, or it may cause chronic hepatitis leading to cirrhosis and liver cancer if untreated. They are transmitted during pregnancy or through IV drug use. We offer state-of-the-art treatments for these infections.

  Autoimmune hepatitis is a liver disease of young children and adolescents which has no definable cause but if detected early can be treated successfully. We treat, monitor and follow up care for these patients.

• Liver Transplantation

  Liver transplantation is performed very successfully for a variety of untreatable liver diseases, with excellent survival rates. While it is not performed at Children’s National, we take care of a large number of patients getting listed for a transplant and after the transplant, for long-term care.

• Newborn Jaundice

  Jaundice in the newborn can be caused by other conditions such as infections and metabolic or genetic causes. We work in collaboration with Infectious Diseases, Neonatology and Genetics in the management of these infants.