Abstract
ObjectivesTo investigate changes of fat in bone marrow (BM) and paraspinal muscle (PSM) associated with the degree of fatty liver in pediatric patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in consideration of age and body mass index (BMI).MethodsHepatic fat, BM fat, and PSM fat from proton density fat fraction of liver MRI between June 2015 and April 2019 were quantitatively evaluated on axial images of the fat map at the mid-level of T11-L2 vertebral bodies for BM fat and at the mid-level of L2 for PSM fat. Age, height, and weight at the time of MRI were recorded and BMI was calculated. Correlation analysis was performed.ResultsA total of 147 patients (114 male) were included with a mean age of 13.3 ± 2.9 years (range 7–18 years). The mean fat fractions were 24.3 ± 13.0% (2–53%) in liver, 37.4 ± 8.6% (17.3–56%) in vertebral BM, and 2.7 ± 1.1% (1.0–6.9%) in PSM. Age, height, weight, and BMI were not correlated with liver fat or BM fat. However, weight (ρ = 0.174, p = 0.035) and BMI (ρ = 0.247, p = 0.003) were positively correlated with PSM fat. Liver fat showed positive correlation with BM fat when adjusting age and BMI (ρ = 0.309, p<0.001), but not with PSM fat.ConclusionsBM fat positively correlates with liver fat, but not with age or BMI in pediatric NAFLD patients.
Highlights
With sedentary lifestyle there is a considerable increase in the prevalence of obesity among pediatric and adolescent children with an estimated prevalence in developed countries greater than 30% [1]
Height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) were not correlated with liver fat or bone marrow (BM) fat
BM fat positively correlates with liver fat, but not with age or BMI in pediatric non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) patients
Summary
With sedentary lifestyle there is a considerable increase in the prevalence of obesity among pediatric and adolescent children with an estimated prevalence in developed countries greater than 30% [1]. Accompanied with increased obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has increased in children and is considered as the most common liver disease among pediatric patients in the developed world [2,3,4]. There is great variation in the reported prevalence of NAFLD in children with obesity, with a wide range of prevalence from 1.7% to 85% [5,6,7]. This variability in prevalence estimates could be due to different body mass index (BMI) references, study design, ethnicity, and geography [7]. The main organ for lipid metabolism is the liver; insulin resistance in liver and adipose tissue in obese patients can cause excessive free fatty acids and the subsequent accumulation of triglycerides in hepatocytes and other tissues including skeletal muscle and bone marrow (BM) [11,12,13]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
