Prevalence of Sonographic Fatty Liver in Overweight and Obese Children; A Cross Sectional Study in Isfahan

Children’s obesity is strong predictor of obesity in adulthood, which increases the incidence of related diseases such as metabolic syndrome. Fatty liver is an abnormality related to metabolic syndrome with higher prevalence in obese children according to some previous studies. This study investigates the presence of Sonographic Fatty Liver (SFL) in Iranian obese children in comparison with normal and overweight children.

This was a cross-sectional study on 962 randomly selected children between the ages of 6 to 18 years. The subjects were divided into three groups of normal, overweight and obese based on body mass index (BMI). A questionnaire including demographic and anthropometrical characteristics was filled for each case. To detect the presence of SFL, all the subjects underwent assessment with ultrasonography by a radiologist who was not aware of their BMI. The incidence of SFL was determined on the basis of ultrasonographic diagnosis criteria.

The prevalence of SFL in obese children was 54.4% that was significantly higher than overweight (10.5%) and normal children (1%). There was no significant difference in prevalence of SFL between sexes.

The high rate of detected SFL in obese children in this study suggests that Iranian obese children are at risk of metabolic syndrome. It is therefore necessary to develop some plan to control obesity and its late complications.