Abstract
Objective
To document the prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and metabolic parameters among normalweight and overweight schoolchildren.
Design
Cross-sectional study.
Setting
Thirteen private schools in urban Faridabad, Haryana.
Participants
961 school children aged 5-10 years.
Methods
Ultrasound testing was done, and 215 with fatty liver on ultrasound underwent further clinical, biochemical and virological testing.
Outcome measures
Prevalence of fatty liver on ultrasound, and NAFLD and its association with biochemical abnormalities and demographic risk factors.
Results
On ultrasound, 215 (22.4%) children had fatty liver; 18.9% in normal-weight and 45.6% in overweight category. Presence and severity of fatty liver disease increased with body mass index (BMI) and age. Among the children with NAFLD, elevated SGOT and SGPT was observed in 21.5% and 10.4% children, respectively. Liver enzyme derangement was significantly higher in overweight children (27% vs 19.4% in normal-weight) and severity of fatty liver (28% vs 20% in mild fatty liver cases). Eleven (8.1%) children with NAFLD had metabolic syndrome. Higher BMI (OR 35.9), severe fatty liver disease (OR 1.7) and female sex (OR 1.9) had strong association with metabolic syndrome.
Conclusions
22.4% of normal-weight and overweight children aged 5-10 years had fatty liver. A high proportion (18.9%) of normal-weight children with fatty liver on ultrasound indicates the silent burden in the population.
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Das, M.K., Bhatia, V., Sibal, A. et al. Prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in normal-weight and overweight preadolescent children in Haryana, India. Indian Pediatr 54, 1012–1016 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13312-017-1202-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13312-017-1202-3