title: Hepatic steatosis is uncommon in children with chronic hepatitis B.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Differently from chronic hepatitis C, factors associated with hepatic steatosis in children with chronic hepatitis B are not clearly elucidated.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Aim of this study was to investigate prevalence of steatosis at liver biopsy in HBV-infected children.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective study including 56 children with chronic hepatitis B undergoing liver biopsy at median age of 8.1 years. In all patients demographic, anthropometric, clinical and laboratory data were evaluated at the time of liver biopsy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Steatosis was present in 2 (4%) children. BMI was significantly higher in 2 patients with steatosis compared with those without steatosis. Demographic, biochemical and virological parameters did not differ between children with and those without steatosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Liver steatosis in HBV-infected children seems to be related to obesity and metabolic factors rather than to viral factors. Detection of steatosis in non-obese children with HBV infection requires a careful investigation to rule out other causes of fatty liver.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University Federico II, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonietta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giannattasio
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cirillo
authors.forename: Vito
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Terlizzi
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Liccardo
authors.forename: Raffaella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vecchione
authors.forename: Raffaele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Iorio
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies