by Dr Linda Calabresi

One in ten Australian teens is well on the way to developing cirrhosis and liver failure, with new research showing they already have evidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

A study (link) of blood samples from 500 randomly selected, ‘healthy’, Sydney schoolchildren found that the prevalence of adverse concentrations of the liver enzyme, ALT was approximately 10 per cent.

The study also showed a similar prevalence of raised concentrations of GGT, AST and ALP but among the four enzymes, ALT is the most specific for hepatocytes, reflecting liver damage suggesting that the prevalence of NAFLD is 10%, said the researchers in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health (Online 19 Nov).

“In the longer term , elevated liver enzymes  from NAFLD are associated with an increased risk of diabetes and the metabolic syndrome,” they added.

Furthermore, the prevalence of raised ALT concentrations was found to increase with increasing BMI.

“The data presented demonstrate a marked increase in the prevalence of liver injury with increasing BMI, being over 40% in obese boys and nearly 20% in overweight girls,” the study authors said.

In the study approximately 28% of the boys and 19% of girls were classified as overweight or obese based on their BMI, percentages which, the researchers suggest, are consistent with those found in the general population.