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BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article
Front. Pediatr.
Sec. Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fped.2025.1491342
This article is part of the Research TopicGastrointestinal and Hepatic Involvement in Cystic Fibrosis in the era of CFTR Modulator TherapiesView all 4 articles
Ultrasound assessment of hepatomegaly and metabolically-associated fatty liver disease among a sample of children: a pilot project
Provisionally accepted
Bárbara Riestra-Candelaria1*
Wilma Rodríguez-Mojica2
Camille Vélez-Morell1
Claudia Ramírez-Marcano1
Ariana Alvarado-Castillo1
Gabriel Camareno-Soto1Loida González-Rodríguez2- 1Central University of the Caribbean, Bayamón, Puerto Rico
- 2University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
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Introduction: Obesity in children is a global health crisis, with 46% of children in Puerto Rico classified as overweight or obese based on Body Mass Index. This condition is linked to serious comorbidities, including early-onset type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and Metabolic-Associated Fatty Liver Disease (MAFLD), the most common liver disease in U.S. children. This study examines the relationship between body weight, liver size, and texture in children from Puerto Rico. Methods: A craniocaudal right liver lobe (RLL) measurement was performed using a panoramic ultrasound image. RLL length and liver texture were assessed based on fat infiltration. BMI was calculated to classify participants into healthy and unhealthy weight groups, and waist circumference (WC) was compared. Statistical analyses, including Shapiro-Wilk, Student's t-tests, ANOVA, and Post Hoc Tukey HSD, were conducted with significance at p < 0.05. Results: Forty-three children aged 7 to 19 years were recruited. Significant differences were observed in liver size and texture between healthy and unhealthy weight groups: RLL length (p=0.003), WC (p < 0.001), and BMI (p < 0.001). Obese children had significantly larger RLL and WC than healthy-weight group (p = 0.02; p < 0.001). More children in unhealthy weight group exhibited hepatomegaly (n=12) and fat infiltration (n=15). Discussion: The findings indicate that large liver and MAFLD are common among children with overweight and obesity, suggesting liver changes related to obesity begin early in life. Strategies to maintain a healthy weight in children are essential to reduce the risk of chronic diseases and potential disabilities in adulthood.
Keywords: metabolic-associated fatty liver disease1, pediatric2, liver steatosis3, hepatomegaly4, obesity5, overweight 6, Children7
Received: 04 Sep 2024; Accepted: 09 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Riestra-Candelaria, Rodríguez-Mojica, Vélez-Morell, Ramírez-Marcano, Alvarado-Castillo, Camareno-Soto and González-Rodríguez. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Bárbara Riestra-Candelaria, Central University of the Caribbean, Bayamón, Puerto Rico
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