Veno-occlusive Disease of the Liver and Indian Childhood Cirrhosis

Cirrhosis of the liver is rare in childhood in the temperate zone and it is then usually due to some specific and traceable cause, such as Rhesus incom- patibility, galactosaemia, congenital syphilis, in association with congenital abnormalities of the biliary apparatus, or following infective hepatitis. In most of the subtropics and tropics-at least according to present probably incomplete evidence- cirrhosis in childhood is somewhat more common, but it is still infrequently seen, despite the fact that the condition may have a high incidence amongst adults.