Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become a major chronic liver disease in children following the pediatric obesity epidemic.Since 2020 NAFLD has been referred to as metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) due to its close association with the metabolic milieu (e.g. insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and glucose metabolism derangements). However, data examining the usefulness of MAFLD definition in children are still limited compared with that available for adult cases.This new nomenclature carries several additional challenges, ranging from the identification of non-invasive diagnostic tools to the proposal of novel therapeutic targets for MAFLD in childhood. Due to the increased early cardiometabolic risk of these patients, a greater scientific effort is needed to allow a better understanding of all the aspects of the disease in children as well as its prognostic implications.This Research Topic aims to provide an updated overview of MAFLD in childhood. A focused and collaborative discussion on pediatric MAFLD will take place to widen and improve the overall understanding of this complex disease affecting the cardiometabolic health of patients since childhood. For this purpose, knowledge about incompletely understood and controversial areas in this field will be shared, and new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for MAFLD will be addressed.We invite investigators to contribute review articles as well as original research articles that will stimulate the continuing efforts to understand the natural history, pathogenesis, diagnostic tools, and comorbidities of MAFLD.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become a major chronic liver disease in children following the pediatric obesity epidemic.Since 2020 NAFLD has been referred to as metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) due to its close association with the metabolic milieu (e.g. insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and glucose metabolism derangements). However, data examining the usefulness of MAFLD definition in children are still limited compared with that available for adult cases.This new nomenclature carries several additional challenges, ranging from the identification of non-invasive diagnostic tools to the proposal of novel therapeutic targets for MAFLD in childhood. Due to the increased early cardiometabolic risk of these patients, a greater scientific effort is needed to allow a better understanding of all the aspects of the disease in children as well as its prognostic implications.This Research Topic aims to provide an updated overview of MAFLD in childhood. A focused and collaborative discussion on pediatric MAFLD will take place to widen and improve the overall understanding of this complex disease affecting the cardiometabolic health of patients since childhood. For this purpose, knowledge about incompletely understood and controversial areas in this field will be shared, and new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for MAFLD will be addressed.We invite investigators to contribute review articles as well as original research articles that will stimulate the continuing efforts to understand the natural history, pathogenesis, diagnostic tools, and comorbidities of MAFLD.