Title:Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in children and adolescents – Relationship with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
VOLUME: 21 ISSUE: 35
Author(s):Giselle Adriana Abruzzese and Alicia Beatriz Motta
Affiliation:Center of Pharmacological and Botanical Studies, School of Medicine, University of Buenos Aires, Paraguay 2155 (1121), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Keywords:Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), triglycerides (TG), adolescents, children,
metabolic syndrome (MS), insulin resistance (IR), obesity.
Abstract:Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is defined as the accumulation of triglycerides (TGs) within
hepatocytes exceeding 5 % of liver weight. NAFLD is a spectrum of pathological processes from nonalcoholic
fatty liver or simple steatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma.
As NAFLD induces metabolic syndrome (MS), then, NAFLD is associated with insulin resistance (IR), type
2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), hypertension and even Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). Because it is well established
that patients carrying gene mutations also develop NAFLD in the absence of IR, the genetic predisposition
to NAFLD is also discussed. Little is known about the diagnosis and treatment of NAFLD in children and adolescents
and the lack of non-invasive diagnostic tools in these populations is a major problem faced by physicians.
The present review aims to discuss recent findings of NAFLD in children and adolescents and, considering the features in common with
PCOS, we also discuss their relationship.
