Overweight Children at Risk of Liver Disease; Health Experts Call for Improvements in Diet and Exercise

With some overweight children developing liver disease and even requiring transplants, health experts are urging pediatricians to watch for warning signs and address the problem through lifestyle changes, the Associated Press reports. According to American Liver Foundation estimates, between 2 percent and 5 percent of children over age 5 suffer from nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, a condition in which fat build-up in the liver causes inflammation and scarring, potentially leading to cirrhosis or total liver failure. But some experts contend that the condition may affect as many as 10 percent of children. It occurs most frequently in overweight children with certain conditions such as high cholesterol, diabetes and heart problems, and health experts cite obesity as one of the leading risk factors. They urge pediatricians to be more vigilant about screening for fatty liver disease since it can be reversed through diet and exercise if cirrhosis has not yet developed. Last spring, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that physicians perform a blood test of liver enzymes every two years on obese and overweight children previously diagnosed with elevated blood pressure or cholesterol or with a family history of heart disease. The U.S. government is funding some 20 studies designed to determine how the disease progresses and who is most likely to develop the condition. It also is evaluating the use of the diabetes drug metformin and vitamin E as potential treatments. However, a liver and obesity specialist at Texas Children's Hospital warns that "the problem is that we aren't changing society in favor of becoming lean." As such, experts recommend that it is best to intervene early and take a multi-faceted approach that engages liver and hormone specialists, dieticians and counselors to work with patients and their families (Johnson, AP, 9/7/08).