A doctor urged parents to watch their children’s food intake after a fourth-grade boy was diagnosed with fatty liver disease.
The boy, surnamed Wang (王), is 160cm tall and weighs 75kg, which is considered heavy for his age, Asia University Hospital pediatric gastroenterologist Tan Teck-king (陳德慶) said.
His parents had been proud of his build, thinking that their son would slim down with age, Tan said.
However, the results of Wang’s physical exam sent by his school showed that his glutamate pyruvate transaminase (GPT) level had reached 185, several times the normal value, he said.
Wang’s parents took him to the hospital, where an ultrasound found that he had developed fatty liver disease, he added.
The disease, caused by a buildup of fat in the liver, can be separated into the alcoholic and non-alcoholic types, Tan said.
The former is caused by alcohol use, while the latter is mainly caused by an excessive intake of calories, he added.
When excess calories turn into fat and accumulate in the liver, the liver becomes inflamed, which destroys liver cells and results in higher GPT levels, he said.
“Although skinny people can also develop fatty liver, obesity is its [the disease’s] greatest risk factor,” Tan said.
There is no known treatment, but symptoms can be improved through weight control, he said.
The North American Society For Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition recommends regular fatty liver screenings for overweight children over the age of nine, Tan said.
Many parents believe avoiding fatty foods would reduce body fat, but if total calorie intake is not lowered, the symptoms would not improve, he said.
Fatty liver disease does not have any noticeable symptoms and is usually detected during physical exams, Tan said.
Some people ignore the disease, as it does not cause any physical discomfort, but long-term liver inflammation could lead to chronic hepatitis, hepatic cirrhosis or liver cancer, he said.
To lower the risk of fatty liver disease, people should avoid processed foods, limit the intake of foods high in sugar and oil, and exercise regularly, Tan said.
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