Background Chronic liver disease is marked by the gradual destruction of liver tissue over time. Hepatic fibrosis is a wound healing response ending eventually with cirrhosis. Transforming growth factor beta among the cytokines and growth factors known to influence lipocyte collagen synthesis.

Objectives The aim was to study the correlation between serum TGF-β1 and liver fibrosis and dysfunction.

Patients and methods: This retrospective descriptive study was carried out in the Pediatric Hepatology Clinic, Benha University Hospital, to review the files of patients diagnosed with chronic liver disease during the period from June 2008 to January 2009 and they were 40 cases. They were classified to; group IA (minimal or no liver fibrosis), group IB (marked liver fibrosis), 10 normal children (group II, control group) were collected matching with patients in sex and age.

Result Using METAVIR score, the mean TGFbeta1 in group II was higher than in group I, and the difference was highly significant between group IA and group II. Moreover the difference was highly significant between group IB and group II, but no significant difference between group IA and group III. The mean TGF beta is highly significant (p<0.01) between child-Pugh class A and C, also between Child-Pugh class A and B, but no significant difference (p>0.05) between Child-Pugh class B and C.

Conclusion TGF-β-1 cytokine increases in the plasma of children with chronic liver diseases of various etiology and may be correlated to the chronicity of the liver disease and the extent of the hepatic injury.