RESUMO
OBJECTIVES: Renal impairment is prevalent in adults with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD/metabolic dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease [MASLD]) and is associated with increased mortality. Pediatric data are limited. Our objective was to determine the prevalence of hyperfiltration or chronic kidney disease (CKD) in children with NAFLD/MASLD and determine links with liver disease severity. METHODS: Data from children who had previously participated in prospective, multicenter, pediatric studies by the Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Clinical Research Network (NASH-CRN) were collected. Renal function was determined using the calculated glomerular filtration rate (cGFR). Hyperfiltration was defined as cGFR > 135 mL/min/1.73m2, while CKD stage 2 or higher as cGFR < 90 mL/min/1.73 m2. Renal dysfunction progression was defined as transition from normal to hyperfiltration or to CKD stage ≥ 2, or change in CKD by ≥1 stage. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to determine the prevalence of CKD and independent associations between CKD and liver disease severity. RESULTS: The study included 1164 children (age 13 ± 3 years, 72% male, 71% Hispanic). The median cGFR was 121 mL/min/1.73 m2; 12% had CKD stage 2-5, while 27% had hyperfiltration. Hyperfiltration was independently associated with significant liver fibrosis (odds ratio: 1.45). Baseline renal function was not associated with progression in liver disease over a 2-year period (n = 145). Renal dysfunction worsened in 19% independently of other clinical risk factors. Progression of renal impairment was not associated with change in liver disease severity. CONCLUSIONS: Renal impairment is prevalent in children with NAFLD/MASLD and hyperfiltration is independently associated with significant liver fibrosis. Almost 1/5 children have evidence of progression in renal dysfunction over 2 years, not associated with change in liver disease severity. Future assessments including additional renal impairment biomarkers are needed.
RESUMO
OBJECTIVES: Recent studies show two-dimensional (2D)-magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) is accurate in diagnosing advanced fibrosis (stages 3 and 4) in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) patients. Three-dimensional (3D)-MRE is a more advanced version of the technology that can image shear-wave fields in 3D of the entire liver. The aim of this study was to prospectively compare the diagnostic accuracy of 3D-MRE and 2D-MRE for diagnosing advanced fibrosis in patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD. METHODS: This cross-sectional analysis of a prospective study included 100 consecutive patients (56% women) with biopsy-proven NAFLD who also underwent MRE. Area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) analysis was performed to assess the accuracy of 2D- and 3D-MRE in diagnosing advanced fibrosis. RESULTS: The mean (±s.d.) of age and body mass index were 50.2 (±13.6) years and 32.1 (±5.0) kg/m(2), respectively. The AUROC for diagnosing advanced fibrosis was 0.981 for 3D-MRE at 40 Hz, 0.927 for 3D-MRE at 60 Hz (standard shear-wave frequency), and 0.921 for 2D-MRE at 60 Hz (standard shear-wave frequency). At a threshold of 2.43 kPa, 3D-MRE at 40 Hz had sensitivity 1.0, specificity 0.94, positive predictive value 0.72, and negative predictive value 1.0 for diagnosing advanced fibrosis. 3D-MRE at 40 Hz had significantly higher AUROC (P<0.05) than 2D-MRE at 60 Hz for diagnosing advanced fibrosis. CONCLUSIONS: Utilizing a prospective study design, we demonstrate that 3D MRE at 40 Hz has the highest diagnostic accuracy in diagnosing NAFLD advanced fibrosis. Both 2D- and 3D-MRE at 60 Hz, the standard shear-wave frequency, are also highly accurate in diagnosing NAFLD advanced fibrosis.