title: The clinical significance of serum ferritin in pediatric non-alcoholic Fatty liver disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in children has become an important public health issue because of its high prevalence and severity. Several noninvasive methods for estimating NAFLD are under investigation. We aimed to evaluate the usefulness of serum ferritin as a biomarker of severity of pediatric NAFLD patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 64 NAFLD patient were enrolled from Severance Children's Hospital from March 2010 to February 2013. Serum ferritin levels, liver related laboratory tests, liver magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (2-dimensional [2D] proton density-fat fraction) and NAFLD severity markers were compared between obese group and overweight group. Correlation analyses were performed between serum ferritin and laboratory values including NAFLD severity markers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In obese group, serum ferritin, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), total bilirubin, international normalized ratio (INR), MRI 2D proton density-fat fraction, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) to platelet ratio index (APRI) and fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) (an index score calculated from platelet count, ALT, AST and age) were significantly higher than those of overweight group. NAFLD severity markers, APRI and FIB-4, and liver specific important laboratory values, AST, ALT, INR, cholesterol, triglyceride and low density lipoprotein show significant correlation with serum ferritin in NAFLD patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum ferritin concentrations could be a candidate of useful severity marker in the pediatric NAFLD patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Severance Children's Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Ji Hoon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Na
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Severance Children's Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: So Won
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Severance Children's Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Yunkoo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Severance Children's Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Koh
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Severance Children's Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Seung
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kim
keywords: Biological markers; Child; Ferritins; Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; Obesity