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AIM: To investigate if non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an early mediator for prediction of metabolic syndrome, and if liver B-ultrasound can be used for its diagnosis. METHODS: We classified 861 obese children (6-16 years old) into three subgroups: group 0 (normal liver in ultrasound and normal transaminases); group 1 (fatty liver in ultrasound and normal transaminases); and group 2 (fatty liver in ultrasound and elevated transaminases). We measured the body mass index, waist and hip circumference, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, insulin, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), whole-body insulin sensitivity index (WBISI), lipid profile and transaminases in all the participants. The risk of developing metabolic syndrome (MS) was assessed according to the degree of liver fatty infiltration based on the B-ultrasound examination. RESULTS: Among the 861 obese children, 587 (68.18%) were classified as having NAFLD, and 221 (25.67%) as having MS. The prevalence of MS in NAFLD children (groups 1 and 2) was 37.64% (221/587), which was much higher than that in non-NAFLD group (group 0, 12.04%) (P < 0.01). There were significantly higher incidences concerning every component of MS in group 2 compared with group 0 (P < 0.05). The incidence of NAFLD in MS patients was 84.61% (187/221), which was significantly higher than that of hypertension (57.46%, 127/221) and glucose metabolic anomalies (22.62%, 50/221), and almost equal to the prevalence of dyslipidemia (89.14%, 197/221). Based on the B-ultrasound scales, the presence of moderate and severe liver fatty infiltration carried a high risk of hypertension [odds ratio (OR): 2.18, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.27-3.75], dyslipidemia (OR: 7.99, 95% CI: 4.34-14.73), impaired fasting glucose (OR: 3.65, 95% CI: 1.04-12.85), and whole MS (OR: 3.77; 95% CI: 1.90-7.47, P < 0.01). The state of insulin resistance (calculated by HOMA-IR and WBISI) deteriorated as the degree of fatty infiltration increased. CONCLUSION: NAFLD is not only a liver disease, but also an early mediator that reflects metabolic disorder, and liver B-ultrasound can be a useful tool for MS screening.

To study the relationship between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in children with obesity.Two hundred and thirty-one obese children and 24 non-obese children as control were enrolled. Body mass index (BMI), serum triglyceride, blood pressure, liver function, and carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) were examined. The obese children were classified into two subgroups according to the diagnosis criteria: group 1 without liver disorder (OCWLD group, n=75) and group 2 with NAFLD (NAFLD group, n=156). The incidences of hyperlipidemia and hypertension, carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) and biochemical indicators were compared in the three groups.The NAFLD group showed significantly greater carotid IMT (0.066+/-0.021 cm) than the OCWLD (0.060+/-0.011 cm) and control groups (0.037+/-0.007 cm) (P0.05). The OCWLD group had also thicker IMT than the control group (P0.05). The incidences of hyperlipidemia and hypertension were 39.7% and 40.4%, respectively in the NAFLD group, which were significantly higher than those in the OCWLD (22.7% and 29.3% respectively)and control groups (4.2% and 12.6% respectively) (P0.05). The liner stepwise regression analysis showed that the IMT was positively correlated with BMI, NAFLD and ALT (adjusted R2=0.316, P0.01).NAFLD may be not only an early marker but also an early state of CVD in obese children. Early diagnosis and treatment of NAFLD is crucial for the prevention of the occurrence and development of CVD.