Pathophysiologic Mechanisms Leading to Intrahepatic Fat Accumulation in Obese Youth
Yale University
Summary
The main aim of the study is to discover the mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology of NAFLD in obese youth.
Description
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common hepatic disease in pediatrics, affecting about 30% of obese youth. The term NAFLD defines a wide spectrum of disease severity ranging from simple intrahepatic fat accumulation without liver injury (steatosis) to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), fibrosis and cirrhosis. A 20-year retrospective study has shown that subjects who develop NAFLD during their youth have about 13 times higher mortality rate for end-stage liver disease than healthy subjects of similar age and gender. NAFLD is highly prevalent among Hispanic youth, while no…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 12–18 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not specified
Inclusion Criteria: * Good general health, taking no medication on a chronic basis; * age 12 to 18 years, in puberty (girls and boys: Tanner stage II-V); * BMI \>85th for obese cohort; Exclusion Criteria: * Baseline creatinine \>1.0 mg; pregnancy; * the presence of endocrinopathies (e.g. Cushing syndrome); * cardiac or pulmonary or other significant chronic illness; * adolescents with a psychiatric disorder or with substance abuse; * monogenic obesity syndromes; * use of drugs affecting intrahepatic fat content (e.g.; liraglutide, fish oil, etc.).
Interventions
- OtherUsual diet and physical activity
Patients will be followed up to assess the effect of the usual diet and physical activity on development of NAFLD
Location
- Yale New Haven HospitalNew Haven, Connecticut