Nasrin Motazedian
1 
, Bita Geramizadeh
1, Seyed Mohsen Dehghani
1, Negar Azarpira
1* , Mahdokht Hossein Aghdaei
1, Ramin Yaghobi
1, Alireza Shamsaeefar
2, Kourosh Kazemi
2, Mohammad Hossein Karimi
1, Alireza Mirahmadizadeh
3, Amirali Mashhadiagha
1,4, Maryam Ataollahi
5, Homa Ilkhanipoor
5, Mitra Basiratnia
5, Hamid Nemati
5, Maryam Ekramzadeh
6, Anahita Sanaei Dashti
5, Saman Nikeghbalian
2, Seyed Ali Malekhosseini
21 Transplant Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
2 Abu Ali Sina Organ Transplant Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
3 Non-Communicable Diseases Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
4 Student Research Committee, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
5 Pediatric Department, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
6 Department of Clinical Nutrition, School of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
Abstract
Liver diseases in children and adolescents are a significant and arising public health issue and should be surveyed from different dimensions (clinical and para-clinical, psychological, socio-economic) and in diverse populations. Shiraz Liver Transplant Center, Shiraz, Iran is the only center for pediatric liver transplantation and its pre-operative evaluations. This provides a unique and valuable situation for studying this vulnerable population. The Shiraz Pediatric Liver Cirrhosis Cohort Study (SPLCCS) was established to assess cirrhotic children, the course of their disease, and treatment over time. This cohort study aimed to prospectively evaluate the natural course and factors that contributed to complications and death of children with chronic liver disease in the region. SPLCCS was launched in September 2018 after obtaining ethical approval; until August 2022, 370 children with end-stage liver disease were enrolled and followed every six months. Here, the cohort’s features, the included population’s baseline characteristics, and primary outcomes are reported.