title: Low and High Birth Weights Are Risk Factors for Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Children.
abstract: To examine the distribution of birth weight in children with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) compared with the general US population, and to investigate the relationship between birth weight and severity of NAFLD.
  
  
  
  A multicenter, cross-sectional study of children with biopsy-proven NAFLD enrolled in the Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Clinical Research Network Database. Birth weight was categorized as low birth weight (LBW), normal birth weight (NBW), or high birth weight (HBW) and compared with the birth weight distribution in the general US population. The severity of liver histology was assessed by birth weight category.
  
  
  
  Children with NAFLD (n = 538) had overrepresentation of both LBW and HBW compared with the general US population (LBW, 9.3%; NBW, 75.8%; HBW, 14.9% vs LBW, 6.1%; NBW, 83.5%; HBW 10.5%; P < .0001). Children with HBW had significantly greater odds of having more severe steatosis (OR, 1.82, 95% CI. 1.15-2.88) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (OR, 2.03; 95% CI, 1.21-3.40) compared with children with NBW. In addition, children with NAFLD and LBW had significantly greater odds of having advanced fibrosis (OR, 2.23; 95% CI, 1.08-4.62).
  
  
  
  Birth weight involves maternal and in utero factors that may have long-lasting consequences. Children with both LBW and HBW may be at increased risk for developing NAFLD. Among children with NAFLD, those with LBW or HBW appear to be at increased risk for more severe disease.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA; Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Pediatrics, Rady Children's Hospital, San Diego, CA.
authors.forename: Kimberly P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Newton
authors.affiliation: Division of Dysmorphology and Teratology, Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA.
authors.forename: Haruna S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Feldman
authors.affiliation: Division of Dysmorphology and Teratology, Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA.
authors.forename: Christina D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Chambers
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Sharp Medical Center, San Diego, CA.
authors.forename: Cynthia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Behling
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.
authors.forename: Jeanne M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Riley Children's Hospital, Indianapolis, IN.
authors.forename: Jean P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Molleston
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN.
authors.forename: Naga
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Chalasani
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Internal Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA.
authors.forename: Arun J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Sanyal
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL.
authors.forename: Mark H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Fishbein
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University, New York, NY.
authors.forename: Joel E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Lavine
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA; Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Pediatrics, Rady Children's Hospital, San Diego, CA. Electronic address: jschwimmer@ucsd.edu.
authors.forename: Jeffrey B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Schwimmer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001706:Biopsy; D001724:Birth Weight; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007233:Infant, Postmature; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States
keywords: birth weight; children; epidemiology; nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; nonalcoholic steatohepatitis; obesity