Currently, the prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in children with obesity is described ranging from 1.7% to 85%. 

Thus a study investigated its prevalence and evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) for NAFLD in children with obesity.

The study investigated the presence of NAFLD in children aged 9-17 years with obesity. 

Other diseases were excluded by history and laboratories. Liver magnetic resonance imaging proton density fat fraction was utilized to measure Hepatic steatosis. Further, the diagnostic accuracy of ALT for detecting NAFLD was assessed.

The following observations were made-

• 408 children with obesity and a mean age of 13.2 years and mean body mass index percentile of 98.0 were included in the study. 
• The mean ALT was found to be 32 U/L and the median hepatic magnetic resonance imaging proton density fat fraction was found to be 3.7% of the study population. 
• The estimated prevalence of NAFLD was 26.0%, with 29.4% in males and 22.6% in females. 
• The optimal ALT cut-point was found to be 42 U/L for males and 30 U/L for females. 
• The diagnostic accuracy for NAFLD was shown to be 80% by the classification and regression tree model with sex, ALT, and insulin.

Thus NAFLD was found to be commonly reported in children with obesity, but NAFLD and obesity were not found to be connected. NAFLD is present in nearly one-third of boys and one-fourth of girls, with obesity.

Source: The Journal of Pediatrics,2019;207:64-70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2018.11.021.