The association between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and insulin resistance in 20 obese children and adolescents.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether there are correlations between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and insulin resistance in obese children. For the first time, we present clinical data of 20 obese children with NAFLD, including an oral glucose tolerance test.


METHODS
Twenty obese children were diagnosed as having NAFLD by abdominal ultrasonography. Serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (gamma-GT) were reported. Insulin sensitivity was evaluated by oral glucose tolerance test, oral glucose insulin sensitivity (OGIS) and homeostasis is model assessment (HOMA) index. All parameters were compared to 20 obese age- and sex-matched patients without NAFLD.


RESULTS
With 81% the prevalence of insulin resistance according to HOMA or OGIS criteria was high in the NAFLD-patients compared to the other group with 63%. Statistically significant differences between both groups were found for mean serum ALT levels, mean glucose levels after 30, 60 and 90 minutes and mean insulin levels after 60 minutes of the glucose tolerance test.


CONCLUSIONS
The high prevalence of insulin resistance we found in children with NAFLD confirms the suggestion that there may be an association between insulin resistance and NAFLD in obese children and indicates that markers of insulin sensitivity could be useful screening parameters for NAFLD.
Ciba
Iris
I
Division of Nutrition and Metabolism, Department of Paediatrics, Vienna Medical University, Wien, Austria.
Widhalm
Kurt
K
D000293:Adolescent; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014463:Ultrasonography; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase / Q000097:blood
D015415:Biomarkers; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase