Severe Phenotype of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Pediatric Patients with Subclinical Hypothyroidism: a Retrospective Multicenter Study from Korea
So Yoon Choi, Dae Yong Yi, Soon Chul Kim, Ben Kang, Byung‐Ho Choe, Yoon Lee, Yoo Min Lee, Eun Hye Lee, Hyo-Jeong Jang, You Jin Choi, Hyun Jin Kim
Abstract
BACKGROUND: It is uncertain whether non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with subclinical hypothyroidism (SH) in pediatric patients. The purpose of this study was to investigated the prevalence and related factors of SH in pediatric patients with NAFLD. We also evaluate the association between liver fibrosis and SH. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed medical records for patients aged 4 to 18 years who were diagnosed with NAFLD and tested for thyroid function from January 2015 to December 2019 at 10 hospitals in Korea. RESULTS: < 0.001; sensitivity 72.4%, specificity 61.9%, positive predictive value 23%, and negative predictive value 93.5%). CONCLUSION: SH was often observed in patients with NAFLD, more frequently in patients with more severe liver damage. Thyroid function tests should be performed on pediatric NAFLD patients, especially those with higher grades of liver steatosis and fibrosis.