Recent prevalence and trends of obesity and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) among US adolescents: 1999 to 2020.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Repeated cross-sectional survey analysis using predictive modeling across NHANES cohorts
PubMed 39967492 · doi:10.1111/ijpo.70003
What was done
Researchers analyzed the prevalence and trends of obesity and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) among US adolescents aged 12–17 using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from 1999 to 2020. A screening model based on FibroScan controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) scores, body measurements, and blood chemistry from 2017–2020 was developed to estimate MASLD trends from 1999 to 2020.
What was found
Between 2017 and 2020, the prevalence of obesity and MASLD was approximately 20%, with about 70% of obese adolescents affected by MASLD. The condition was more frequent in boys and Mexican American adolescents. Approximately 97.2% of adolescents with NAFLD also met MASLD criteria. Adolescents with MASLD had significantly higher body weight, waist circumference, triglycerides, and ALT levels, lower HDL cholesterol, and higher liver fibrosis risk. MASLD prevalence rose significantly from 1999 to 2020 alongside obesity rates.
Why it matters
This study documents the high and rising burden of MASLD in US adolescents and confirms that the transition from NAFLD to MASLD diagnostic criteria captures almost the entire affected pediatric population.
Limits
The abstract does not report the total participant sample size (n). Historical trends prior to 2017 were estimated using a predictive model rather than direct elastography measurements, and the cross-sectional survey design precludes causal conclusions.
Cited by
- context Approximately 25% of all children in the United States have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.