Acute hepatitis complicating Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection

Hepatocyte growth factor can guide treatment of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia in children

The objective of the present study was to explore the role of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in directing treatment of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MP). Serum levels of HGF were assessed using ELISA in 65 pediatric patients with MP, 42 with bacterial pneumonia and 30 healthy controls. Serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), the standard guide for MP treatment, were also examined in severe and non-severe MP. The sensitivity and specificity of HGF and CRP in assessing the outcome of azithromycin treatment of MP were compared using receiver operating characteristic curves. HGF levels were elevated in MP and bacterial pneumonia patients compared with healthy controls. HGF levels were also significantly higher in severe MP than in non-severe MP. HGF showed higher sensitivity and specificity than CRP in assessing outcomes of azithromycin treatment of MP. The results of the present study indicated that HGF may be used to detect severe MP and to direct its management. Furthermore, HGF may be better predictive marker to assess the effectiveness of azithromycin treatment of MP than CRP.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae-related hepatitis in children

Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M. pneumoniae) is a small bacterium characterized by the absence of cell wall. It is a human pathogen causing upper and lower respiratory infections, both in adults and children. However, it is also considered to be implicated in the pathogenesis of several types of extra-respiratory diseases, including some gastrointestinal disorders. The liver involvement in children during or after M. pneumoniae infections is analyzed and discussed in this review. Through a systematic literature search, it is evidenced that M. pneumoniae is not infrequently associated with alteration of liver function, but rarely causes acute and severe hepatitis in children. M. pneumoniae should be considered as an unusual cause of acute hepatitis in children, whenever the most common hepatotropic viruses have been excluded. The pathogenesis of M. pneumoniae-related hepatitis is likely to be immune-mediated: both the innate and adaptive immune responses may play a fundamental role. However, the exact pathological mechanisms have to be elucidated yet. Further clinical studies are needed in order to understand the actual relevance of this microorganism in liver disease and its pathogenesis.

Hepatitis associated with Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in Korean children: a prospective study

Purpose

Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) infection is a major cause of respiratory infection in school-aged children. Extrapulmonary manifestations of MP infection are common, but liver involvement has been rarely reported. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical characteristics of MP-associated hepatitis.

Methods

This prospective study included 1,044 pediatric patients with MP infection diagnosed serologically with MP IgM at one medical center from January 2006 to December 2012. Eighty of these patients had elevated levels of serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), each greater than 50 IU/L, without any other specific liver disorder and were compared with the 964 children without liver disorders.

Results

In total, 7.7% of patients with MP infection had a diagnosis of hepatitis, especially in fall and winter. The ratio of male to female patients was 1.7:1, and the mean age of the patients was 5 years and 5 months. The most common symptoms were cough, fever, and sputum. Anorexia was the most common gastrointestinal symptom, followed by nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Mean levels of AST and ALT were 100.65 IU/L and 118.73 IU/L, respectively. Serum AST/ALT level was normalized within 7.5 days on average without complications. The mean duration of hospitalization (11.3 days) was longer for children with hepatitis than for those without hepatitis (P=0.034).

Conclusion

MP-associated hepatitis is not uncommon and has a relatively good prognosis. Therefore, clinicians should be concerned about liver involvement in MP infection but avoid further unnecessary evaluation of hepatitis associated with MP.

Acute cholestatic hepatitis revealing Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection without lung involvement in an adult patient

Liver involvement is an unusual manifestation of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection. Cases of cholestatic hepatitis without pulmonary involvement have been described in children with M. pneumoniae infection but only two cases of cytolytic hepatitis have been reported in adults. We report here the case of an 18-year-old woman who presented with febrile epigastric pain of short duration associated with an elevation of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase and alkaline phosphatase levels and with a mononuclear syndrome. Serological tests for M. pneumoniae were positive for IgG and IgM. Clinical symptoms and blood test perturbations completely resolved after treatment with macrolide.

Acute hepatitis due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection without lung involvement in adult patients

Mycoplasma pneumoniae has been associated with cholestatic hepatitis in children, while in adults, the lack of liver involvement has been considered as a typical feature of M. pneumoniae infection. Controversial data have been reported about the possibility of liver involvement with M. pneumoniae community-acquired pneumonia. We present two cases of acute hepatitis associated with M. pneumoniae infection without lung involvement.

Hypertransaminasemia in childhood as a marker of genetic liver disorders

BACKGROUND

The widespread use of routine biochemical assays has led to increased incidental findings of hypertransaminasemia. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of different causes of raised aminotransferase levels in children referred to a university department of pediatrics.

METHODS

We investigated 425 consecutive children (age range, 1-18 years) with isolated hypertransaminasemia. All patients had raised aminotransferase levels on at least two occasions in the last month before observation. Cases due to major hepatotropic viruses were excluded.

RESULTS

During the first 6 months of observation, 259 children showed normalized liver enzymes. Among the remaining 166 patients with hypertransaminasemia lasting for more than 6 months, 75 had obesity-related liver disease; 51, genetic disorders; 7, autoimmune hepatitis; 5, cholelithiasis; 3, choledochal cyst; and 3, celiac disease. Among the 51 children with genetic disorders, 18 had Wilson disease; 14, muscular dystrophy; 4, alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency; 4, Alagille syndrome; 4, hereditary fructose intolerance; 3, glycogen storage disease (glycogenosis IX); 2, ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency; and 2, Shwachman's syndrome. In 22 children, the hypertransaminasemia persisted for more than 6 months in the absence of a known cause.

CONCLUSIONS

Genetic disease accounted for 12% of cases of isolated hypertransaminasemia observed in a tertiary pediatric department. A high level of suspicion is desirable for an early diagnosis of these disorders, which may present with isolated hypertransaminasemia and absence of typical clinical signs.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae and its role as a human pathogen

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a unique bacterium that does not always receive the attention it merits considering the number of illnesses it causes and the degree of morbidity associated with it in both children and adults. Serious infections requiring hospitalization, while rare, occur in both adults and children and may involve multiple organ systems. The severity of disease appears to be related to the degree to which the host immune response reacts to the infection. Extrapulmonary complications involving all of the major organ systems can occur in association with M. pneumoniae infection as a result of direct invasion and/or autoimmune response. The extrapulmonary manifestations are sometimes of greater severity and clinical importance than the primary respiratory infection. Evidence for this organism's contributory role in chronic lung conditions such as asthma is accumulating. Effective management of M. pneumoniae infections can usually be achieved with macrolides, tetracyclines, or fluoroquinolones. As more is learned about the pathogenesis and immune response elicited by M. pneumoniae, improvement in methods for diagnosis and prevention of disease due to this organism may occur.

Acute acalculous cholecystitis complicating Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection

Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection has been associated with extrarespiratory manifestations. Gastrointestinal manifestations, gastroenteritis, hepatitis, and pancreatitis have also been reported.1,2 There have been no previous reports of acute cholecystitis complicating Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection. Acute acalculous cholecystitis is uncommon in childhood. We report on a child with acute cholecystitis during the course of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection.