Digestive Diseases News
Fall 2007

Featured in the NIDDK Reference Collection

Alagille Syndrome

A brochure from the Alagille Syndrome Alliance helps parents and educators understand issues that can arise when children with Alagille syndrome (AGS) are part of a standard classroom.

The 12-page publication, Alagille Syndrome In The Classroom, addresses the symptoms of the disorder, the use of medication and nutrition to treat AGS, liver function tests to monitor the disease, guidelines for children taking medication during school hours, pancreatic enzymes in AGS, vitamins, hospitalizations, communication between family and school, and hints for teachers and staff.

Treatment focuses on increasing bile flow from the liver with medication, preventing or correcting nutritional deficiencies such as vitamin malabsorption, and maintaining normal growth and development, often through supplemental feeding. A final section considers legal factors, as established by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The brochure also notes the activities and goals of the Alagille Syndrome Alliance.

AGS is a rare, multisymptomatic, genetic liver disorder characterized by a reduced number of small bile ducts within the liver combined with abnormalities in other organs including the heart, eyes, spine, kidneys, lungs, and pancreas. To order the publication, contact the Alagille Syndrome Alliance at 10500 SW Starr Drive, Tualatin, OR 97062, 503–885–0455, alagille@alagille.org, or visit www.alagille.org.

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) Reference Collection is a free, online database that helps health care professionals, health educators, patients, and the general public find educational materials not typically referenced in most databases. To find more digestive diseases resources, visit www.catalog.niddk.nih.gov/resources.

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NIH Publication No. 08–4552
November 2007