NAFLD Microbiome

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of chronic liver disease in children in the United States. NAFLD is associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome; however, there is limited understanding of the development and progression of NAFLD. There is evidence of abnormalities of bacterial colonization, and intestinal bacterial product-induced inflammation associated with NAFLD and disease progression. The goal of this study was to characterize the intestinal microbiome in pediatric participants with NAFLD and in both obese and normal weight controls to determine the relationship between alterations in the intestinal microbiome, inflammation, and the development of NAFLD. We hypothesized that alterations in the intestinal microbiome are associated with increased systemic inflammation and the development and severity of NAFLD.]]> The study was performed as an ancillary study to the NIDDK NASH CRN. All participants were enrolled and evaluated at UC San Diego. Those children with NAFLD were enrolled in the NASH CRN. In phase one, the study enrolled 87 children with biopsy-proven NAFLD and 37 controls without NAFLD. Diagnosis of NAFLD involved standard clinical parameters including history, labs, and liver histology. Control subjects were overweight or obese children without any evidence of liver disease. Children with antibiotic exposure within the past 90 days or any probiotic use were excluded.]]>