Children's Liver Disease Foundation
Encyclopedia
Children's Liver Disease Foundation (CLDF) is a UK
charity
whose purpose is fighting childhood liver disease
and raising awareness of childhood liver disease amongst the general public.
CLDF was founded in 1980 by the parents of a little boy named Michael McGough, who died before be could receive a liver transplant. The name was later changed to Children’s Liver Disease Foundation. There is no equivalent organisation anywhere else in the world.
Today the charity works in three main areas, support of families and young people affected by liver disease, funding medical and social research into all aspects of childhood liver disease and education, providing educational services to the general public and the medical profession. CLDF’s chief executive, Catherine Arkley, is an authority on paediatric liver disease. The charity works closely with the three UK specialist paediatric liver centres: Birmingham Children’s Hospital, King’s College Hospital, London and St James’s University Hospital, Leeds.
CLDF provides support to families and young people affected by childhood liver disease, including an ‘on-call’ telephone and email service and face to face meetings with parents and young people at hospitals and clinics.
The charity has also developed a range of literature for families, young people, and healthcare professionals. CLDF’s literature series includes a medical series, with leaflets on the main liver diseases affecting children (biliary atresia
, alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency
, autoimmune hepatitis
, hepatitis A
, hepatitis B, hepatitis C
, Wilson's disease
etc.) CLDF has also produced a nutrition
series, a support series for families and information written especially for children and young people. CLDF also provides the paediatric liver transplant units with a series of leaflets on transplantation to accompany the paediatric liver transplant programme.
– a sign of possible liver disease.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
charity
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
whose purpose is fighting childhood liver disease
Liver disease
Liver disease is a broad term describing any single number of diseases affecting the liver.-Diseases:* Hepatitis, inflammation of the liver, caused mainly by various viruses but also by some poisons , autoimmunity or hereditary conditions...
and raising awareness of childhood liver disease amongst the general public.
CLDF was founded in 1980 by the parents of a little boy named Michael McGough, who died before be could receive a liver transplant. The name was later changed to Children’s Liver Disease Foundation. There is no equivalent organisation anywhere else in the world.
Today the charity works in three main areas, support of families and young people affected by liver disease, funding medical and social research into all aspects of childhood liver disease and education, providing educational services to the general public and the medical profession. CLDF’s chief executive, Catherine Arkley, is an authority on paediatric liver disease. The charity works closely with the three UK specialist paediatric liver centres: Birmingham Children’s Hospital, King’s College Hospital, London and St James’s University Hospital, Leeds.
CLDF provides support to families and young people affected by childhood liver disease, including an ‘on-call’ telephone and email service and face to face meetings with parents and young people at hospitals and clinics.
The charity has also developed a range of literature for families, young people, and healthcare professionals. CLDF’s literature series includes a medical series, with leaflets on the main liver diseases affecting children (biliary atresia
Biliary atresia
Biliary atresia, also known as "extrahepatic ductopenia" and "progressive obliterative cholangiopathy" is a congenital or acquired disease of the liver and one of the principle forms of chronic rejection of a transplanted liver allograft. As a birth defect in newborn infants, it has an occurrence...
, alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency
Alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency
Alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder caused by defective production of alpha 1-antitrypsin , leading to decreased A1AT activity in the blood and lungs, and deposition of excessive abnormal A1AT protein in liver cells...
, autoimmune hepatitis
Autoimmune hepatitis
Autoimmune Hepatitis is a disease of the liver that occurs when the body's immune system attacks cells of the liver. Anomalous presentation of human leukocyte antigen class II on the surface of hepatocytes, possibly due to genetic predisposition or acute liver infection, causes a cell-mediated...
, hepatitis A
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A is an acute infectious disease of the liver caused by the hepatitis A virus , an RNA virus, usually spread the fecal-oral route; transmitted person-to-person by ingestion of contaminated food or water or through direct contact with an infectious person...
, hepatitis B, hepatitis C
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is an infectious disease primarily affecting the liver, caused by the hepatitis C virus . The infection is often asymptomatic, but chronic infection can lead to scarring of the liver and ultimately to cirrhosis, which is generally apparent after many years...
, Wilson's disease
Wilson's disease
Wilson's disease or hepatolenticular degeneration is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder in which copper accumulates in tissues; this manifests as neurological or psychiatric symptoms and liver disease...
etc.) CLDF has also produced a nutrition
Nutrition
Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet....
series, a support series for families and information written especially for children and young people. CLDF also provides the paediatric liver transplant units with a series of leaflets on transplantation to accompany the paediatric liver transplant programme.
Yellow Alert campaign
CLDF’s prolonged jaundice awareness campaign, Yellow Alert aims to promote the early identification and appropriate referral of babies with prolonged jaundiceJaundice
Jaundice is a yellowish pigmentation of the skin, the conjunctival membranes over the sclerae , and other mucous membranes caused by hyperbilirubinemia . This hyperbilirubinemia subsequently causes increased levels of bilirubin in the extracellular fluid...
– a sign of possible liver disease.