For a study, researchers sought to examine the social results of biliary atresia (BA) patients, including educational, employment, and familial outcomes. Investigators used Medline, EMBASE, Global Health, Maternity, and Infant Care Database, and reference searching to conduct a systematic review. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute assigned a score for quality control. A total of 51 studies (41 cohorts, 10 cross-sectional) with 4,631 participants from 16 countries were included. BA post-liver transplant (LT) cohorts (18 studies), native liver survivors (NLS) cohorts (16 studies), mixed cohorts (13 research), and 4 other cohorts were studied. Education (n=35), employment (n=16), family outcomes (n=22), and social functioning (n=22) were among the outcomes studied. BA patients performed worse in school than controls, with no change between NLS and post-LT. Between 2% and 48% of youngsters required additional educational assistance. Adult BA patients were employed in 60% to 100% of cases. Pregnancies were documented in 17 studies, with small sample sizes and some problems. In 8 of the 11 comparisons, social functioning scores were similar to healthy controls. Even though BA was the most common reason for liver transplantation in children, social outcomes for children and adolescents were mostly documented in non-randomized, single-center surveys. To maximize the quality of evidence for future patients, the Study Group advocates routine psychological assessment of these patients during follow-up and multi-center collaborations.

Source:journals.lww.com/jpgn/Abstract/2022/01000/Social_and_Educational_Outcomes_in_Patients_With.18.aspx

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