Early life programming of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in children

Abstract

Background: Research is beginning to implicate early life characteristics in the development of pediatric nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, however the relationship with perinatal characteristics is poorly understood.

Aims: We evaluated the association between perinatal characteristics and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in childhood.

Study design: Nested case-control study.

Subjects: 5104 children born in Quebec, Canada between 2006 and 2019. Exposures included maternal diabetes, obesity, prematurity, and other birth complications.

Outcome measures: The outcome was nonalcoholic fatty liver disease diagnosed in hospital before 14 years of age. We calculated adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association between birth characteristics and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Results: A total of 104 children with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease were included. Gestational diabetes (OR 2.17, 95% CI 1.15-4.10), preexisting diabetes (OR 5.75, 95% CI 2.67-12.4), and maternal obesity (OR 3.06, 95% CI 1.71-5.45) were associated with childhood nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Prematurity (OR 1.93, 95% CI 1.06-3.54) and neonatal intensive care unit admission (OR 2.18, 95% CI 1.10-4.33) were also associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. However, there was no association with low birthweight, small-for-gestational age birth, and macrosomia.

Conclusions: Maternal metabolic disorders and prematurity may initiate processes early in life that lead to the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in childhood.

Keywords: Diabetes, gestational; Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; Obesity, maternal; Pregnancy complications; Premature birth.