Re: Pediatric Fatty Liver Boosts Cardiovascular Disease RiskAndrew, in the Holy Spirit, boldly wrote:
* internalmedicinenews . com /article/PIIS1097869008704529/fulltext
> COLORADO SPRINGS =EF=BF=BD Pediatric nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is
> strongly associated with multiple cardiovascular risk factors, often
> in excess of clinical thresholds for considering pharmacotherapy, Dr.
> Stephen Cook said at a conference of the American Heart Association.
>
> Moreover, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in children and
> adolescents with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is twice
> that seen in equally obese youths without the hepatic disease,
> according to Dr. Cook, of the University of Rochester (N.Y.) Medical
> Center.
>
> He added that these new findings from a 300-patient case-control study
> underscore the importance of routine screening for NAFLD in obese
> youth as recently recommended by an expert panel comprising
> representatives of 15 professional organizations (Pediatrics
> 2007;120:S163=EF=BF=BD288).
>
> NAFLD is =EF=BF=BDa severe precursor which, if not reversed, is going to b=
e
> one of the leading causes of liver failure in adulthood,=EF=BF=BD Dr. Cook=
> said in an interview.
>
> The cardiovascular risk profiles documented in this study raise the
> prospect that youths with NAFLD may be predisposed to highly premature
> cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, he noted.
>
> Dr. Cook reported on 150 severely obese children and adolescents with
> biopsy-proven NAFLD and an equal number of age-, gender-, and obesity-
> matched controls with normal liver function tests and no hepatomegaly
> or other signs of NAFLD.
>
> =EF=BF=BDAcross the board, these obese kids with fatty liver had far highe=
r
> triglycerides, LDL, fasting blood glucose, insulin, blood pressure,
> and lower HDL than matched controls who were just as obese,=EF=BF=BD he sa=
id.
>
> Overall, 80 youths with NAFLD and 35 controls met the three-component
> definition for metabolic syndrome.
>
> In a logistic regression analysis controlled for age, race, gender,
> insulin resistance, and body mass index, subjects with NAFLD were two-
> to sixfold more likely than were controls to exceed treatable
> thresholds for various cardiovascular risk factors. (See box.)
>
> The recent expert panel recommendations included comprehensive reports
> on the treatment, prevention, and assessment of pediatric obesity.
> Panelists recommended that lipid profiles routinely be obtained in
> youths who are at or above the 85th percentile for BMI, and
> recommended liver function tests, fasting blood glucose, and lipid
> profiles in all those at or above the 95th percentile.
>
> Although liver biopsy is required for definitive diagnosis of NAFLD,
> there is considerable interest in noninvasive screening. Magnetic
> resonance imaging is probably the best method at present, followed by
> CT with contrast. Ultrasound is the least informative method, but
> fatty infiltration does cause the liver to light up on ultrasound, and
> the attenuation can be compared with the spleen, Dr. Cook said.
* internalmedicinenews . com /article/PIIS1097869008704529/fulltext
> *******
>
> A simple parable given in hopes of promoting much greater
> understanding:
>
> * HeartMDPhD . com /Parable
>
> Life in industrialized nations is life in feed lots. It is up to
> parents to figure out what is the right amount of food for their
> children. Because the right amount for the parents is 32 ounces, the
> right amount for their children will be varying degrees less.
<><
* HeartMDPhD . com /HolySpirit/Counsels