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Thyroid dysfunction, NAFLD associated in children with overweight, obesity
Euthyroid children and adolescents with overweight or obesity and elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone are more likely to have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, according to recent findings.
“Higher TSH levels are associated not only with a higher risk of NAFLD, but also with a greater degree of fatty infiltration found on ultrasound scanning,” Tanja Eva-Maria Kaltenbach, of Ulm University Medical Center in Ulm, Germany, and colleagues wrote. “The results of our study emphasize the possible significance of subclinical hypothyroidism as a predictor of metabolic comorbidity in obese children and adolescents.”
In a prospective, cross-sectional study, researchers analyzed data from 332 children and adolescents with overweight and obesity who were either euthyroid or had subclinical hypothyroidism (170 girls; mean age, 14 years; 10.5% with subclinical hypothyroidism). The children, all participants in a weight reduction program at German pediatric medical center, underwent ultrasound examination of the liver; researchers measured thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), total triiodothyronine (T3) and total thyroxine levels and lipid profile, insulin and liver function. Within the cohort, 29.8% had hepatic steatosis (66 boys).
Children with NAFLD had significantly higher TSH levels than those without the disease (P = .0007). After dividing TSH values into quartiles, both univariate and multivariate analyses showed a significant association with hepatic steatosis after adjustment for age, BMI and stage of puberty (P < .05). T3 and T4 levels were not associated with the disease, according to researchers. – by Regina Schaffer
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.