Hope for Justin: help a child with Biliary Atresia

Biliary atresia is a silent killer, with one out of every fifteen thousand infant suffering this congenital disease. If left untreated this rare and aggressive liver disease can easily turn into a congenital death sentence.

Biliary atresia, which also known as extrahepatic ductopenia is a congenital disease of the liver. It is also one of the major forms of prolonged rejection of a transplanted liver. It can occur as an anomaly in newborn infants, with a recorded occurrence of 1 in every 10,000 to 1 in every 15,000 cases in live births across the world. In its congenital state the bile duct, which is located between the small intestine and liver is missing or has a form of blockage. For people who aquire this disease because of organ rejection, this problem sets in with the onset of autoimmunity, when the transplanted liver allograft reaches a chronic rejection state.

Children born with this condition normally present with jaundice and are prone to other degenerative effects of the disease such as pruritus, nutrient absorption problems for fat and vitamins, liver cirrhosis, infant hypertension and stunted growth. If left untreated the condition progresses until the liver can no longer function. What causes congenital biliary atresia is still unknown. At this stage there are only two kinds of treatment available: a special surgical procedure for early onset biliary atresia and liver transplantation.

 First Line of Treatment

The Kasai procedure was developed by a surgeon in Japan and is now the primary intervention for many infants suffering from biliary atresia. Timely surgical intervention coupled with rigid medical treatment has shown great stride in ensuring the survival and recovery of infants who suffer from this congenital disease. There is a small percentage however who still need to undergo liver transplantation after a few years of the Kasai procedure. This happens when despite the surgical intervention, the atresia continues to progress and becomes fully grown. At this stage the only way to save the infants life is through a liver transplant.

Justin Mark Russel Nieto Paga, is among those infants who require liver transplantation. Born in June 29, 2012 he was diagnosed with biliary atresia and has since gone through this serious and life threatening struggle. Every day is a blessing for this infant, who requires immediate surgical intervention to save his life and finally rid of the degenerative disease. In Justin’s condition he has no bile duct, making the bile trapped inside his body and causing massive liver tissue loss. At three months, he underwent the Kasai procedure with a home to temporarily provide a passage for the bile out of his liver. Upon his surgery, the doctors find out that the extent of liver damage caused by tissue loss is too extensive and that the only solution to save his life is to undergo a liver transplant.

 Justin has found a liver match in his mom but needs our financial assistance to get the liver transplant. Kindly visit www.hopeforjustin.blogspot.com and make a difference today by saving young Justin’s life and making a contribution towards his much-needed liver transplant.

 

 

 



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