An Unusual Case of Infantile Hepatic Steatosis Caused by Coconut-Based Infant Formula

Paula M Prieto Jimenez; Esther Jun-Ihn; Michael Matthews; Trang Lollie; Yong Qu; Martin G Martin

doi:10.1097/PG9.0000000000000235

An Unusual Case of Infantile Hepatic Steatosis Caused by Coconut-Based Infant Formula

JPGN Rep. 2022 Sep 30;3(4):e235. doi: 10.1097/PG9.0000000000000235. eCollection 2022 Nov.

Authors

Paula M Prieto Jimenez¹, Esther Jun-Ihn², Michael Matthews³, Trang Lollie⁴, Yong Qu⁵, Martin G Martin⁶

Affiliations

¹ From the Department of Pediatrics at Mattel Children's Hospital, Pediatric Gastroenterology Fellow at University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA.
² Department of Pediatrics at Mattel Children's Hospital, Pediatric Hospitalist at University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA.
³ Laboratory Assistant at University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA.
⁴ Department of Pathology at Ronal Regan Medical Center, Clinical and Laboratory Pathology Fellow at University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA.
⁵ Biochemical Genetics Laboratory at Kaiser Permanente, Oakland, CA; and.
⁶ Department of Pediatrics at Mattel Children's Hospital, Attending Physician Pediatric Gastroenterology at University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA.

Abstract

We report a 5-month-old African American male with hepatic steatosis secondary to chronic and exclusive homemade coconut milk formula ingestion. Findings resolved with discontinuation.

Keywords: coconut oil; fatty liver in neonatal period; hepatic steatosis in newborn; infant hepatomegaly; macrovesicular fatty liver; nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; pediatric hepatomegaly; sea moss.

Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition and the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition.

Publication types

Case Reports