NAFLD screening recommended in overweight, obese kids with T1D

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) does not seem to occur at elevated rates among children and young adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D) but shows signals among those overweight or obese, reports a new study.

Researchers performed a cross-sectional analysis of 50 young T1D patients (median age, 16.9 years; 28 girls). Liver fat was measured using magnetic resonance imaging, including proton density fat fraction (PDFF) analysis and elastography sequences. Participants had had T1D for a median of 6.5 years, and 92 percent had been diagnosed for over 2 years.

Overall, five patients were eventually diagnosed with NAFLD. Despite the relatively low incidence rate of 10 percent, two of the five children who developed NAFLD were overweight, and another two were obese.

When looking at young T1D patients who were overweight/obese, the incidence rate of NAFLD jumped to 26 percent.

None of the NAFLD patients were found to have hepatic fibrosis, though PDFF analysis identified one whose scores were compatible with stage 3 hepatic steatosis.

Logistic regression analysis confirmed that only elevations in the body mass index standard deviation score was a significant risk factor for NAFLD (odds ratio, 5.79, 95 percent confidence interval, 1.04–32.18).

“Our data suggest that routine screening for NAFLD in all young patients with T1D might not be necessary, but it should be considered in patients with overweight/obesity and metabolic syndrome features,” the researchers said.