The Prevalence of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis |
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| Authors: | Emma L. Anderson Laura D. Howe Hayley E. Jones Julian P. T. Higgins Debbie A. Lawlor Abigail Fraser |
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| Affiliation: | 1 MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom, ; 2 School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom, ; 3 Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, University of York, York, United Kingdom, ; The Chinese University of Hong Kong, HONG KONG, |
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| Abstract: | MethodsWe conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of all studies reporting a prevalence of NAFLD based on any diagnostic method in participants 1–19 years old, regardless of whether assessing NAFLD prevalence was the main aim of the study.ResultsThe pooled mean prevalence of NAFLD in children from general population studies was 7.6% (95%CI: 5.5% to 10.3%) and 34.2% (95% CI: 27.8% to 41.2%) in studies based on child obesity clinics. In both populations there was marked heterogeneity between studies (I2 = 98%). There was evidence that prevalence was generally higher in males compared with females and increased incrementally with greater BMI. There was evidence for differences between regions in clinical population studies, with estimated prevalence being highest in Asia. There was no evidence that prevalence changed over time. Prevalence estimates in studies of children/adolescents attending obesity clinics and in obese children/adolescents from the general population were substantially lower when elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was used to assess NAFLD compared with biopsies, ultrasound scan (USS) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).ConclusionsOur review suggests the prevalence of NAFLD in young people is high, particularly in those who are obese and in males. |
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