Final answer:
Pediatric liver diseases like biliary atresia, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, alagille syndrome, and progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis can cause cirrhosis in children, as can hereditary and metabolic factors. Cirrhosis in children often leads to complications such as fluid accumulation in the abdomen. Infections, including those by parasites, can also cause liver damage and cirrhosis in children.
Step-by-step explanation:
There are several pediatric liver diseases that can cause cirrhosis in a child, a condition where normal liver tissue is replaced by scar tissue, impeding the liver's function. Diseases such as biliary atresia, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, alagille syndrome, and progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis are examples of conditions that can lead to cirrhosis. In addition to pediatric liver diseases, chronic liver failure in children may arise due to hereditary and metabolic causes like iron or copper overload or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. In some cases, infections such as those caused by schistosome parasites can also lead to liver and blood vessel damage, which in turn can result in conditions like cirrhosis and the accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity, as depicted in Figure 24.4.9 where a child's protruded abdomen is evidence of such damage.
It is important to note that while cirrhosis in adults is commonly associated with excessive alcohol intake, this is generally not the case in children, where cirrhosis typically stems from the aforementioned hereditary, metabolic, or infectious causes, including the presence of certain infections such as bacterial, viral, and protozoal ones.