How a snap of a dirty nappy could detect liver condition
Researchers are appealing for new parents to share pictures of their baby’s poo – in the hope it will help with early detection of rare liver disease.
The Dirty Nappy Study is being led by Dr Girish Gupte, Paediatric Liver Specialist, at our Trust.
He said: “We think we can detect a rare liver disease called biliary atresia in babies early using just photographs of their nappy. The condition affects the bile ducts which are the tiny tubes that carry bile from the liver into the intestine.
“In babies with biliary atresia these ducts become blocked or scarred in the first weeks of life, so bile cannot drain easily. It then builds up in the liver and, if untreated, causes serious and lasting liver damage. It is rare, affecting around one in 16,000 babies, which is part of why it can be missed.
“One of the earliest signs is a change in the colour of a baby’s poo. When bile is not reaching the gut, stools lose their normal yellow, green or brown colour and become pale, almost like putty or chalk. The change can be subtle and easy to miss in the first few weeks especially as poo can be mixed with urine.
“That is exactly what our study looks for. The photographs are analysed by a computer programme that has been trained on many images and can pick up the slight colour differences that separate a healthy stool from a pale one. It is designed to flag those subtle changes more consistently than the eye alone, and to identify babies who may need to be seen and checked.
“Finding biliary atresia early matters because it can be treated with an operation that restores bile drainage and that operation works far better when it is done in the first few weeks of life. The sooner an affected baby is identified, the better the chance of protecting the liver and reducing the likelihood of needing a liver transplant later on.
“Detecting this disease quickly is so important and could change the way we treat children at an early stage. All we need are photographs, there are no tests or changes in the way the parents care for their child.”
The photographs of the nappies need to be taken at certain ages. This could be at 14, 21, 28 days, three and six-months-old.
Parents can then upload them onto the website via a secure link they will be given once they have signed up.
Other NHS trusts across the country are also taking part, including East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust and NHS Lothian.
To sign up go to www.DirtyNappy.org.