Fatty Liver Disease in Children and Teens

Fatty liver disease in children, or excess fat in the liver, is the most common pediatric liver disease in the United States. Some children have a more severe type of fatty liver, called nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). In children with NASH, the liver not only has excess fat but is also inflamed. Pediatric NASH patients have a high risk of scar tissue developing in their livers, which raises their risk of cirrhosis (severe scarring of the liver) and even liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma) as they grow older.

At the University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital, we focus on reversing — and when possible, avoiding — potentially severe health risks in children with fatty liver disease.

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Obesity, Weight Loss and Weight Management in Children with Fatty Liver Disease

Children with fatty liver disease or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis are commonly overweight or obese. Obesity significantly raises your child’s risk for fatty liver disease, as well as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and other serious health conditions.

Right now, weight loss is typically the most effective way to prevent and treat most cases of pediatric fatty liver disease and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. If your child is still growing, we may focus on maintaining a healthy weight as your child grows taller.

Our goal is to help, not judge.

Every year, our pediatric liver specialists counsel and help hundreds of children who have pediatric fatty liver disease or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, or who are at risk for developing these conditions. At Comer Children’s, this has given our team a first-hand understanding of how difficult it can be for children to change their eating habits and increase their physical activity. It often requires your entire family to make changes. In addition to monitoring your child’s liver health, we will help you identify specific approaches for encouraging healthy eating and physical activity that work for your child and your entire family.

Our Pediatric Fatty Liver Disease Specialist Team

At Comer Children’s, our team of pediatric liver specialists provides comprehensive care and behavioral support for each child and family.

Your child’s care team will include:

• Pediatric hepatologist Ruba Azzam, MD, MPH, who specializes in diagnosing and medically managing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, as well as a wide variety of liver diseases and liver failure in children
• Pediatric nutritionists, who can help you and your child design an eating plan that is healthy and not overly restrictive
• Pediatric social workers, who can connect you and your child to a variety of health maintenance resources
• Physical therapists, who will work with you and your child to choose a wide variety of appropriate exercise regimens

In addition, Comer Children’s offers comprehensive medical and surgical care for children with a range of complex health concerns. If your child has or develops type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure or other complications related to fatty liver disease or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, we can refer you to an experienced doctor who specializes in the type of care your child needs.