title: Sleep-disordered breathing: a new risk factor of suspected fatty liver disease in overweight children and adolescents?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate if sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) was an independent predictor of suspected fatty liver disease in a clinical sample of overweight children and adolescents.
  
  
  METHODS
  Consecutive overweight and obese children attending a pediatric obesity clinic underwent polysomnography, fasting blood sample, and abdominal ultrasound.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The respiratory disturbance index, percentage of total sleep time with SO2 < 90%, and SaO2nadir were associated with higher alanine amino-transferases (ALT) independent of abdominal obesity. Multiple logistic regression selected waist circumference (odds ratio = 1.05; p = 0.05) and SaO2nadir (odds ratio = 0.87; p = 0.03) as predictors of suggestive fatty liver disease, defined as ALT > 40 U/L and/or hyperechoic liver on abdominal ultrasound. This study supports the association between the severity of SDB and suspected fatty liver disease in a clinical sample of overweight children and adolescents. We recommend more research on the influence of SDB on the development of fatty liver disease and on the effect of treating sleep apnea on liver function parameters.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium. stijn.verhulst@ua.ac.be
authors.forename: Stijn L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Verhulst
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.forename: Liselotte
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Aerts
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Schrauwen
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Haentjens
authors.forename: Raoul P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Rooman
authors.forename: Luc Van
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Gaal
authors.forename: Wilfried A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: De Backer
authors.forename: Kristine N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Desager
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000453:epidemiology*; D050177:Overweight; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*