PMID: 16637558Apr 28, 2006Paper

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Pediatric Annals
Marcos E Alfire, William R Treem

Abstract

NAFLD likely is the most common liver disease in children and is responsible for significant progression to cirrhosis, portal hypertension, and the need for liver transplantation in adults and even in some adolescents. Early diagnosis and lifestyle interventions appear to be our best hope for controlling progression of disease. The pediatrician is responsible for screening all obese children with measurement of aminotransferases. Those with elevated enzymes (particularly ALT) for longer than 3 months, in the absence of markers of hepatitis B or C, autoimmune chronic active hepatitis, Wilson's disease, hemochromatosis, or alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency, should follow up with an abdominal ultrasound. In patients with a BMI in the morbidly obese range, an ultrasound to search for a diffusely echogenic liver should be performed even if the liver enzymes are normal. Findings suggestive of NAFLD should prompt the institution of appropriate dietary and exercise regimens. If these are unsuccessful after a 3-month trial, the patient should be referred to a pediatric gastroenterologist and hepatologist for further work-up and treatment, preferably in the context of a controlled therapeutic trial. Only by aggressively engaging this curren...Continue Reading

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Citations

Mar 29, 2011·Virchows Archiv : an International Journal of Pathology·Andrea TannapfelBerenike Flott-Rahmel
Aug 21, 2013·Paediatric Drugs·Deborah L KendallPeter E Clayton
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Jul 3, 2010·Pediatrics in Review·Bryan Rudolph, Yolanda Rivas

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