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Living with Infantile liver failure

A rare genetic liver condition with episodes of sudden liver failure brought on by fevers, with recovery in between.

Understanding Infantile liver failure

Infantile liver failure is a rare genetic liver disease with repeated episodes of acute liver failure triggered by a fever illness.

It begins in infancy or early childhood. During episodes, people may have vomiting, sleepiness (lethargy), yellow skin (jaundice), high liver enzymes, and clotting problems. There is usually full recovery between episodes with conservative treatment.

Signs & symptoms

GARD doesn't list specific symptoms for this condition yet. Its summary describes these during episodes:

  • Vomiting
  • Sleepiness (lethargy)
  • Yellow skin and eyes (jaundice)
  • High liver enzymes
  • Blood clotting problems

Not everyone has every symptom. GARD's list comes from the Human Phenotype Ontology.

Diagnosis

  1. Talk with your doctor

    Share the symptoms you've noticed, when they started and your family health history. Notes and photos can help.

  2. See a specialist

    Specialists who may be involved include digestive system specialists and genetic specialists.

  3. Ask which tests can help

    Your care team will decide which exams and tests can confirm the diagnosis.

Care & treatment

Care team
Digestive system specialists (gastroenterologists); Genetic specialists (geneticists)
Expert care
Ask about multidisciplinary care centers for rare conditions
Treatment
GARD doesn't list specific treatments for this condition. Your care team will tailor care to your symptoms.
Research
Clinical trials and observational studies may be options. See the research section below.

General information, not medical advice. Your care team makes the decisions.

Everyday life

Living with a rare condition is easier with support.

  • Connect with rare disease patient organizations for support
  • Keep notes on symptoms, changes and questions for appointments
  • Ask about patient registries that help research
  • Look into financial aid and travel resources for care visits
Bring these questions to your next doctor visit
Which fevers or illnesses should we treat as urgent?
What do we do when an episode starts?
Can genetic testing find the cause?

Quick facts

Symptoms usually startInfant
InheritanceAutosomal Recessive

GARD says it is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern, meaning a child inherits a changed copy of the gene from each parent. Episodes are brought on by a fever illness.

GeneticGastrointestinal

Also known as: fever-associated acute infantile liver failure syndrome; infantile liver failure syndrome; liver failure, infantile

Patient organizations

Rare-disease groups that can help

Source: NIH GARD · Infantile liver failureGARD ID 17820 · GARD page updated September 2026 · Plain-language summary by Know Rare; editorial review pending. General information, not medical advice.

You are more than your diagnosis

Perspectives from people navigating life with Infantile liver failure.

Explore the Infantile liver failure blog

Explore research for Infantile liver failure

Explore actively recruiting Infantile liver failure studies with HealthSpark.

HealthSpark

Find actively recruiting studies for Infantile liver failure with HealthSpark. Share your city to explore research near you.

  • Recruiting studies from ClinicalTrials.gov
  • Share your city to look for research near you
  • Eligibility is confirmed by the study team

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Powered by HealthSpark, our AI chat helper · Study information from ClinicalTrials.gov · Eligibility is confirmed by the study team.

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