[Studies on fatty liver, blood glucose and related factors in simple obese children]

To study the prevalence of fatty liver, blood glucose and related factors in simple obese children.

Their liver was scanned with B-type ultrasound and fasting blood glucose (with a microassay glucometer), as well as other related morphological and functional indices, were measured in 62 children aged 8 to 11 years, including 32 obese ones and 30 control ones.

Prevalence of fatty liver in obese and control groups was 93.8% and 10%, respectively, with very statistically significant difference (P < 0.01). Blood glucose level in obese and control groups was 5.42 mmol/L and 5.54 mmol/L, respectively, with statistically significant difference (P < 0.05). Proportion of children with normal cardiac function was 62.5% and 93.3%, respectively, in obese and control groups, with significant difference (P < 0.05). The prevalence of fatty liver correlated positively with skin-fold thickness, waist to hip ratio (WHR) and body mass index (BMI), with coefficients of correlation of 0.8786, 0.6256 and 0.8454, respectively (P < 0.01). Blood glucose correlated with skin-fold thickness and BMI positively, with coefficients of correlation of 0.3403 and 0.3155, respectively (P < 0.05). Regression analysis showed that skin-fold thickness and WHR were major risk factor for fatty liver and skin-fold thickness was major risk factor for high blood glucose.

Simple obesity could cause damage to the liver, glucose metabolism and cardiac function in children, forming the potential risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and disturbance of lipid metabolism in adults.