Evaluation of metabolic factors affecting the presence of hepatosteatosis and the effect of insulin like growth factor-1 level in overweight and obese children

Although previous studies related to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in childhood were predominantly ALT and uric acid level, the number of studies that have been handled in terms of insulin like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) level or IGF-1 standard deviation score (SDS) is limited. In this study, all factors that may affect NAFLD, including IGF-1 level and IGF-1 SDS, were evaluated in two groups of children who were not statistically different from each other in terms of age, gender, weight, height, body mass index and puberty. This study was a cross sectional study. 36 children with evidence of fatty liver disease on ultrasound imaging and 38 children without it were included in the study. Anthropometric data, laboratory measurements and radiological results of all participants were evaluated. All factors that could affect NAFLD were evaluated by binary logistic regression analysis. Weight, weight SDS, body mass index (BMI) SDS, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), AST, ALT, GGT, uric acid, triglyceride, HDLcholesterol, IGF-1, IGF-1 SDS were evaluated in this model to predict NAFLD. In the statistical model, the percentage of predicting those with NAFLD, that is, the sensitivity, was 88.9%, while the detection rate of those without NAFLD, that is, the specificity, was 94.7%. IGF-1 level was found to be significantly lower in the group with NAFLD (p: 0.04), but there was no significant difference between the groups in terms of IGF-1 SDS (p: 0.10). There are conflicting results in studies examining the relationship between IGF-1 SDS and NAFLD. This may be due to ethnicity, regional differences, kit-specific laboratory reference ranges, or method of measurement. Laboratory measurements including appropriate parameters with a detailed physical examination can be used to predict the presence of NAFLD without the need for radiological examination.