[HTML][HTML] Natural history of NAFLD diagnosed in childhood: a single-center study

CE Cioffi, JA Welsh, RL Cleeton, SA Caltharp… - Children, 2017 - mdpi.com
CE Cioffi, JA Welsh, RL Cleeton, SA Caltharp, R Romero, ML Wulkan, JV Konomi…
Children, 2017mdpi.com
Little is known regarding the subsequent course of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
diagnosed in childhood. The objectives of this single-center study were to gather data on
long-term health outcomes and to assess the feasibility of contacting former pediatric
patients. In a large pediatric medical center, electronic records were searched to initially
identify 162 former patients who had a liver biopsy between 2000 and 2010. Of these, 44
subjects met the criteria for age at follow-up (≥ 18 year) and biopsy-proven NAFLD, and …
Little is known regarding the subsequent course of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) diagnosed in childhood. The objectives of this single-center study were to gather data on long-term health outcomes and to assess the feasibility of contacting former pediatric patients. In a large pediatric medical center, electronic records were searched to initially identify 162 former patients who had a liver biopsy between 2000 and 2010. Of these, 44 subjects met the criteria for age at follow-up (≥18 year) and biopsy-proven NAFLD, and were recruited via postal and electronic mail. Participants were invited to complete a brief telephone survey on current health status. Supplemental data was also obtained from pediatric medical charts of all subjects. At NAFLD diagnosis, 18% of subjects had diabetes, 91% were obese, 61% had NASH, and 56% had fibrosis on biopsy. At follow-up, 10 subjects (23%) responded to the survey. Based on the survey and chart review, after a mean follow-up of 4.5 years, 5 additional subjects developed diabetes for a period prevalence of 30%, and most subjects (78%) remained obese at last follow-up. Additional prospective studies are needed to fully describe the longitudinal risks associated with pediatric NAFLD, and will require multi-dimensional strategies to successfully recruit former patients.
MDPI