Prevalence of fatty liver in non-obese Japanese children with atopic dermatitis

Fatty liver in non-obese Japanese children was observed in 3.2% of non-atopic children and in 17.6% of patients with atopic dermatitis in 2000. The prevalence of fatty liver in non-obese children aged 0-12 years was studied from 2001 to 2003. Subjects were either non-atopic children, or suffering from bronchial asthma, allergic rhinitis, or atopic dermatitis. Fatty liver was studied by abdominal ultrasound scans. The prevalence of fatty liver was increasing annually, and it reached to 12.5% in non-atopic children, 13.1% in patients with bronchial asthma, 13.7% in patients with allergic rhinitis, or 33.9% in patients with atopic dermatitis, in 2003. Since fatty liver in childhood may be a risk factor for lifestyle-related diseases in future, care should be taken to prevent it.