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Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is now the most common liver condition in children, affecting one third or more of obese children; a small subset of children with NAFLD progress to hepatic fibrosis and even cirrhosis. Unfortunately, normal liver function tests do not exclude NAFLD, and transaminase levels do not correlate reliably with liver histology. A noninvasive marker is needed to help identify children with NAFLD and those with disease progression.
European researchers studied serum bile acid levels as a potential biomarker in 92 patients with NAFLD (age range, 4–20 years) and 105 healthy control patients (age range, 11–19 years).
Compared with controls, patients with NAFLD had significantly higher mean body-mass index z-scores…