Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), defined as fat buildup in hepatocytes more than 5%, can develop to fibrosis or cirrhosis later in life. The prevalence of NAFLD in teenagers has grown dramatically in direct proportion to the prevalence of obesity. In adults, fatty liver has become the most common reason for a liver transplant. The study’s goal was to discover anthropometric factors related with the risk of developing NAFLD in adolescents throughout the first 10 years of life. The ‘Growth and Obesity Chilean Cohort Study’ (GOCS) is a 10-year longitudinal cohort study that included 513 children born between 2002 and 2003, with anthropometric data gathered on a yearly basis. Abdominal ultrasonography was used to detect the presence of intrahepatic fat in the livers of 14 to 16-year-old individuals. Elastography was also conducted on all subjects who had ultrasonography indications of NAFLD. 9.7 percent of the individuals had results consistent with NAFLD. Obesity substantially and steadily enhanced the likelihood of NAFLD development in adolescents after 2 years of age. Obesity at 5 years of age was linked to the greatest OR for NAFLD, reaching 8.91. Those with changed liver elasticity (7 kPa) had higher weight, BMI z-score, waist and hip circumference, and altered liver enzymes among NAFLD patients.
Beginning at the age of two years, the chance of having NAFLD in adolescence increases significantly with early obesity.
