Serum Pentraxin 3 Fragment as a Noninvasive Marker of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Obese Children and Adolescents.
OBJECTIVE
It was suggested that serum pentraxin 3 (PTX3) levels could differentiate obese children with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) from those with simple steatosis. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the clinical utility of serum PTX3 fragment levels in the diagnosis of NASH and the assessment of its severity in obese children with suspected nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).


METHODS
Fifty obese children were compared to 25 matched controls. All were subjected to history taking, anthropometric measurements, and abdominal ultrasonography, as well as laboratory assessments of liver functions, fasting lipid profile, fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin, homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) index, fasting glucose/insulin ratio, and serum PTX3.


RESULTS
PTX3 was higher in obese cases than controls (p = 0.0001). Eighty percent of the cases had NAFLD with progressive increases in PTX3 levels as the severity of fatty liver increased (p = 0.0001). Moreover, PTX3 was higher in cases with elevated liver enzymes (3.205 ± 0.77 U/l) than those with normal liver enzymes (2.77 + 0.69 U/l, p < 0.0001). A cutoff value of 3.03 U/l differentiated fatty liver from NASH with a sensitivity of 89% and a specificity of 86%.


CONCLUSIONS
Noninvasive monitoring of serum PTX3 fragment levels in obese patients with suspected NAFLD may be used as a reliable tool for differentiating NASH from simple fatty liver.
Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
Rasha Tarif
RT
Hamza
Amel A
AA
Elfaramawy
Nermine H
NH
Mahmoud
D000293:Adolescent; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D000683:Serum Amyloid P-Component / Q000378:metabolism*; D000099153:Pentraxins
D015415:Biomarkers; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D000683:Serum Amyloid P-Component; D000099153:Pentraxins