Incidence and geographic distribution of biliary atresia in children under 1 year of age in Colombia during the period 2018-2021

Introduction: Biliary atresia (BA) is the most common cause of obstructive jaundice in the first months of life. If not treated promptly, BA rapidly progresses to biliary cirrhosis and eventually leads to early death. Objective: To estimate the incidence of BA in children under 1 year of age in Colombia and its territorial divisions (32 departments and one special district) for the period 2018-2021. Materials and methods: Cross-sectional study using secondary data. Cases of BA in children under 1 year of age officially reported in Colombia to the National Institute of Health (INS by its Spanish acronym) between 2018 and 2021 were analyzed. The annual incidence of BA was calculated by dividing the number of BA cases reported each year for children under 1 year of age at the time of notification by the number of live births (LBs) in that same year. Incidence was also calculated at the national level and in each of the country's territorial divisions (32 departments and 1 special district) for the period 2018-2021. Results: Between 2018 and 2021, 82 cases of BA were reported in children under 1 year of age in Colombia, of which 58.54% involved girls. The median age at the time of notification was 4.89 months. The incidence of BA in Colombia for the period 2018-2021, based on the number of cases reported for children under 1 year of age at the time of official notification of the event to the INS, was 3.23 cases per 100 000 LBs (annual range: 2.19 and 4.05 cases). The departments of Boyacá, Santander and Cauca had the highest incidence rates (7.5, 7.212 and 6.374 cases per 100 000 live births), while the departments of Magdalena, Córdoba and Bolívar had the lowest (0.747, 0.98 and 1.02 per 100 000 live births). Conclusions: The incidence of BA in Colombia for the period 2018-2021, based on the number of cases in which the age of notification was under 1 year, was 3.23 cases per 100 000 LBs, which is lower than what has been reported in other countries and regions.