| Abstract: | BACKGROUND: Obesity, a worldwide pandemia, is associated with a large variety of comorbidities, among which is non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. NAFLD is a complex disease that may eventually lead to cirrhosis, posing a high risk for the patient and thus necessitating early diagnosis and treatment. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the association between ultrasonographically diagnosed non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and the levels of serum inflammatory markers in obese children and adolescents. METHODS: This prospective cohort study was conducted in children and adolescents attending the endocrine obesity clinic in a tertiary care children's hospital in 2001-2003. Blood tests and ultrasound were performed to detect the presence of fatty liver. The severity of fatty liver was determined by measuring the liver/kidney echogenicity ratio (hepatorenal index). Blood tests included complete blood count, liver enzymes, lipid profile, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, high sensitivity C-reactive protein, serum amyloid A, and the degree of erythrocyte adhesiveness/aggregation as measured in peripheral blood slides. RESULTS: The 30 boys and 34 girls, age 9-21 years, who participated in the study were divided into those who evidenced NAFLD on ultrasound (Group 1, n=37) and those whose liver appeared normal on ultrasound (Group 2, n=24). ESR, hs-CRP, SAA and the degree of erythrocyte adhesiveness/aggregation were compared between the groups. There was no significant association between elevated ESR, the levels of CRP, SAA and/or the degree of erythrocyte adhesiveness/aggregation and the hepatorenal index and NAFLD. The degree of erythrocyte adhesiveness/ aggregation correlated with body mass index-standard deviation score in both genders (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Fatty liver itself may not be a cofactor in stimulating inflammatory markers in obese patients. Obese children diagnosed with NAFLD may have simple steatosis and their increased inflammatory markers are therefore compatible with those expected in obesity. |
