7M children could have fatty liver disease; experts say obesity major factor

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- More than 7 million children in the U.S. are thought to have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, a condition which doctors used to only see in adults.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease happens when the liver becomes bloated and infiltrated by fat cells.

Experts say childhood obesity is a big factor: 17 percent of kids in the U.S. are obese and 17 percent are overweight. Of those children who are obese, 50 percent will develop fatty liver disease.

"Obesity has the same effect on the liver like alcohol," said Dr. Naim Alkhouri, director of the Inherited Metabolic Liver Disease Clinic at Cleveland Children's Clinic.

Until now, an invasive liver biopsy was the only way to determine just how severe the condition was, but Cleveland Clinic researchers have developed an online fatty liver disease calculator doctors can use.

Doctors simply input the blood liver enzymes and platelet counts into a mathematical equation that gives them an idea of how advanced a patient's disease is.

"By applying the calculator, you can avoid liver biopsy in approximately 60 percent of kids," Alkhouri said.

There may be a genetic component to fatty liver disease because certain ethnic groups, including Mexican-Americans, appear to be more susceptible.

But fatty liver disease is reversible if detected at an early stage.