Abstract
BackgroundWith the increasing number of children with obesity worldwide, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become the most common liver disease among children. It is necessary to recognize the risk factors of NAFLD for prevention in childhood since NAFLD is asymptomatic in the early stage. Objectives. The objective of this study was to investigate possible risk factors of NAFLD in children with obesity, providing evidence for monitoring and prevention strategies at an early stage for obese children with NAFLD.MethodsData were collected from 428 children and adolescents aged 6-16 years recruited from the Children’s Hospital at Nanjing Medical University from September 2015 to April 2018 and analyzed. Based on a combination of ultrasound results and alanine transaminase levels, subjects were divided into three groups: simple obesity (SOB), simple steatosis (SS), and nonalcoholic fatty hepatitis (NASH). Blood biochemical examination included glucose, insulin, uric acid, lipid profile and liver enzymes.ResultsAmong 428 children with obesity, 235 (54.9%) had SS and 45 (10.5%) had NASH. Body mass index, body mass index standard deviation score (BMI-SDS), waist circumference, body fat, liver enzymes, uric acid and HOMA-IR level were significantly higher in the NASH group than in the SS and SOB groups (p < 0.001). 53.3% of the SS group and 49.8% of the NASH group had metabolic syndrome, significantly more than in the SOB group (19.6%, p < 0.001). After adjustment for confounding factors, logistic regression models revealed that NASH was associated with BMI-SDS ≥ 3, gender, hyperuricemia and insulin resistance.ConclusionsThe prevalence of NASH in children with obesity is closely related to high BMI-SDS, gender, insulin resistance and hyperuricemia. These findings provide evidence that monitoring risk factors of childhood obesity can assist in developing prevention strategies for liver disease at an early stage.
Highlights
With the increasing number of children with obesity worldwide, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become the most common liver disease among children
Demographic and clinical characteristics of participants A total of 428 children with obesity were recruited for the study, including 148 (34.6%) with simple obesity (SOB), 235 (54.9%) with SS and 45 (10.5%) with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)
The uric acid concentration and Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) levels involved in the pathogenesis of NAFLD were ranked as follows: SOB < SS < NASH
Summary
With the increasing number of children with obesity worldwide, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become the most common liver disease among children. The objective of this study was to investigate possible risk factors of NAFLD in children with obesity, providing evidence for monitoring and prevention strategies at an early stage for obese children with NAFLD. With childhood obesity rates increasing, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become the most common liver disease among children worldwide [1]. NAFLD may progress from simple steatosis (SS) to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), subsequently leading to fibrosis/ cirrhosis [4, 5]. Among those obese youth with NAFLD, 10% have NASH, characterized by hepatocyte inflammation and expansion in the background of hepatic steatosis [1, 6,7,8]. Liver cirrhosis due to NAFLD in children has been described [10]
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