Fatty Liver Degeneration In Children: Association With Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Fatty liver degeneration, also termed hepatic steatosis, is a condition in which lipids accumulate in the hepatocytes causing cellular dysfunction and eventually cell death. Hepatic steatosis is diagnosed histologically when liver fat exceeds more than 5% of the liver weight. In adults, fatty liver degeneration is typically associated with excessive alcohol intake as in alcoholic fatty liver disease or with sedentary lifestyle and high-calorie diet as in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). With the rise of obesity in recent decades, fatty liver disease has become the leading cause of chronic liver disease, not only in adults but in children as well. Besides liver disease, obesity is associated with several conditions among which is obstructive sleep apnea.The aim of this article is to review the pathogenesis of fatty liver degeneration focusing on NAFLD and its relationship with obstructive sleep apnea in children

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and microRNA expression in children

With the rise of the obesity epidemic in recent decades, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become the leading cause of chronic liver disease, not only in adults but in children as well. At present, the gold standard in diagnosing pediatric NAFLD is liver biopsy – an invasive procedure associated with potentially severe complications. Therefore, the current efforts are directed towards the development of new non-invasive and accessible methods for the early diagnosis of NAFLD. Among the potential biomarkers are the micro-ribonucleic acids (miRNAs) – small molecules made up of 20-25 nucleotides, which exert their biological effect as regulators of protein synthesis. The aim of the present article is to provide a short description of miRNA function in hepatic metabolism and their possible use in diagnosing pediatric NAFLD