System Maintenance Notice

Please note that maintenance work is scheduled between 4 AM and 5 AM - CET. During this time, you may experience reduced performance. Thanks for your patience.

Publications

Journal Article Review Ahead of print

PubMed: 41423404 DOI: 10.1016/j.dld.2025.11.025

The immunological profile of children with portal hypertension.

Dig Liver Dis

Authors: Fabiola Di Dato, Raffaele Iorio, Eirini Kyrana, Yun Ma, Tassos Grammatikopoulos

Affiliations

  • Department of Translational Medical Science, Section of Pediatrics, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy; The Roger Williams Institute of Liver Studies, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK.
  • Department of Translational Medical Science, Section of Pediatrics, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.
  • The Roger Williams Institute of Liver Studies, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK; Paediatric Liver, GI & Nutrition Centre and MowatLabs, King's College Hospital, London, UK.
  • The Roger Williams Institute of Liver Studies, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK.

Abstract

Portal hypertension is a clinical syndrome with potentially life-threatening complications. Diagnosis and management in children are complex due to the invasiveness of hepatic venous pressure gradient measurement and the limited number of definitive treatment options, so that liver transplantation often remains the only definitive treatment. The influence of the immune system on the development of portal hypertension has recently received attention; however, the connection between portal hypertension, impaired immune response, and the development of liver changes has not yet been fully elucidated. This review provides an overview of the main current knowledge on the role of cytokines, immune cells, and other molecules involved in the inflammation and vascular changes associated with portal hypertension. A better understanding of the pathogenesis of portal hypertension could address the need to identify non-invasive markers for the diagnosis of portal hypertension and predictors of its complications in children. Furthermore, understanding the strong interaction between the immune system and the development of portal hypertension could be useful for identifying new potential therapeutic options, orienting therapeutic management towards immunomodulatory approaches.

MeSH

Hypertension, Liver, Hypertension, Portal, Immune System, Therapeutics, Child