title: Metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance and Fatty liver in obese Iranian children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Obesity is a global epidemic and its morbidities such as metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and fatty liver leads to a spectrum of psycho-social and medical consequences.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of fatty liver in obese Iranian children and its' association with metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance.
  
  
  METHODS
  102 obese Iranian children, referred to pediatric clinics from March 2011 to March 2012, were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. All the patients were visited by a pediatric endocrinologist, a pediatric gastroenterologist and an expert radiologist in the evaluation of fatty liver grading.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The grade of fatty liver was higher in older children (P = 0.001). It was also more in taller and heavier children (P = 0.000). The more the BMI was, the more the fatty liver grade was (P = 0.002). Severity of fatty liver according to liver sonography in patient had a positive relationship with waist circumference, hip circumference, serum TG, serum FBS, serum fasting insulin, serum ALT, systolic blood pressure and HOMA index and had a negative correlation with the level of alkaline phosphatase. Severity of fatty liver also had a close relationship with the presence of acanthosis nigricans and HOMA index.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Prevalence of fatty liver is high in our obese children. It was associated with criteria of metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance, so visceral fat may participate in the pathogenesis of the metabolic syndrome or merely serve as a marker of increased risk for the metabolic complications of obesity.
authors.affiliation: Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Forough
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Saki
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology, Department of Pediatrics, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Zohreh
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Karamizadeh
keywords: Children; Fatty liver; Insulin Resistance; Iran; Obesity