Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Children

Emir Muzurović; Stergios A Polyzos; Dimitri P Mikhailidis; Sanja Borozan; Dušanka Novosel; Oleg Cmiljanić; Nataša Kadić; Christos S Mantzoros

doi:10.2174/1570161121666221118155136

Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Children

Curr Vasc Pharmacol. 2023;21(1):4-25. doi: 10.2174/1570161121666221118155136.

Authors

Emir Muzurović^{1

2}, Stergios A Polyzos³, Dimitri P Mikhailidis^{4

5}, Sanja Borozan¹, Dušanka Novosel^{2

6}, Oleg Cmiljanić^{2

6}, Nataša Kadić², Christos S Mantzoros⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Internal Medicine, Endocrinology Section, Clinical Centre of Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro.
² Faculty of Medicine, University of Montenegro, Ljubljanska bb, 81000, Podgorica, Montenegro.
³ First Laboratory of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
⁴ Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Royal Free Hospital Campus, Medical School, University College London (UCL), Pond Street, London NW3 2QG, UK.
⁵ Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai, UAE.
⁶ Institute for Children's Diseases, Gastroenterology Section, Clinical Centre of Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro.
⁷ Departments of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA and Boston VA Healthcare System, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.

PMID: 36411561
DOI: 10.2174/1570161121666221118155136

Abstract

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become the most common liver disease in the paediatric age. The growing prevalence of NAFLD and its advanced phenotype, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), in children and adolescents parallels similar trends in obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. This trend may have serious long-term implications, including hepatic and extra-hepatic morbidity and mortality, the latter being related mostly due to cardiovascular disease and malignancies. This narrative review, which included 236 articles, summarizes current evidence on paediatric NAFLD, including pathophysiology, risk factors, complications, prevention and treatment (existing and emerging). Early recognition of NAFLD followed by timely and adequate management seems to be important on an individual basis. A global "call to action" regarding paediatric NAFLD seems appropriate to mitigate the burden of this disease.

Keywords: Children; adolescents; epidemic; non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; non-alcoholic steatohepatitis; treatment.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2* / complications
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2* / diagnosis
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2* / epidemiology
Humans
Liver / pathology
Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease* / diagnosis
Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease* / epidemiology
Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease* / therapy
Prevalence
Risk Factors