Cardiovascular Risk in Children with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)

Abstract

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the main cause of chronic liver disease in children. With the global obesity epidemic, the prevalence of NAFLD is increasing both in industrialized and developing countries. NAFLD is a multisystem disorder and a hepatic manifestation of the metabolic syndrome. Growing scientific evidence suggests that NAFLD is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. This paper briefly describes the current knowledge concerning the association between NAFLD and cardiac dysfunction in children.