Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and the gut microbiota in adolescents: is there a relationship?

Theodor Bilharz Research Institute

Bibliographic Information

Authors: Amrousy D.E.; Ashry H.E.; Maher S.; Elsayed Y.; Hasan S.

Journal: BMC Pediatrics

Publisher: BioMed Central Ltd

Publication Date: 29 November 2024

Volume / Issue: Volume 24 / Issue 1

Article No.: 779

ISSN: 14712431

DOI: 10.1186/s12887-024-05268-y

Scopus: View on Scopus

PubMed: 39609733

Document Type: Article

Access: All Open Access; Gold Open Access; Green Open Access

Authors and Affiliations

Amrousy D.E., Pediatric Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt; Ashry H.E., Tropical Medicine Departments, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt; Maher S., Theodor Bilharz Research Institute, Cairo, Egypt, Immunology Lab, Theodor Bilharz Research Institute, Kornish El Nil Street, Giza, Egypt; Elsayed Y., Kasr El Ainy Medical School, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt; Hasan S., Pediatric Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt

Abstract

Background: Despite the increasing prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the pathophysiology is still not fully understood. Recent evidence suggests that the gut microbiota may play a role in the pathophysiology of NAFLD and may also offer new therapeutic options. Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study included 100 consecutive newly diagnosed obese patients (BMI ≥ 95th percentile), aged 14–18 years with NAFLD (confirmed by ultrasound), persistently elevated levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) greater than 60 U/L for 1–6 months, and 100 healthy controls. We evaluated changes in the gut microbiota in NAFLD adolescents compared with healthy controls. Results: According to the multiple logistic regressions, the variables associated with NAFLD were the presence of Clostridium difficile, the presence of Salmonella spp., a greater abundance of Bifidobacterium and Prevotella, and a lower abundance of Lactobacillus. Conclusion: Changes in the gut microbiota occur in adolescents with NAFLD compared with healthy individuals, which may be useful for identifying youths who are amenable to gut microbiota-based interventions. Clinical trial number: Not applicable. © The Author(s) 2024.

Keywords

Adolescents; Gut microbiota; Metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease; Adolescent; Alanine Transaminase; Bifidobacterium; Case-Control Studies; Clostridioides difficile; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Humans; Logistic Models; Male; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; Prevotella; Prospective Studies; Salmonella; alanine aminotransferase; aspartate aminotransferase; ferritin; folic acid; gamma glutamyltransferase; hemoglobin A1c; probiotic agent; riboflavin; RNA 16S; triacylglycerol; uric acid; alcoholism; analysis of variance; Article; Bacteroidetes; body mass; carbohydrate intake; celiac disease; child; Clostridium perfringens; controlled study; correlation coefficient; dietary intake; DNA extraction; echography; Enterococcus faecalis; enzyme linked immunosorbent assay; Escherichia coli; fatty liver; gestational age; glucose blood level; homeostasis model assessment; human; inflammatory bowel disease; insulin resistance; intestine flora; liver disease; major clinical study; metabolic fatty liver; nonalcoholic fatty liver; nonhuman; nutritional assessment; obesity; polymerase chain reaction; prevalence; Proteobacteria; socioeconomics; Staphylococcus aureus; systolic blood pressure; waist circumference; blood; case control study; cross-sectional study; isolation and purification; microbiology; prospective study; statistical model

Citation Information

Scopus Citations: 6

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