Genetic and clinical markers of elevated liver fat content in overweight and obese Hispanic children.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Genetic variation in six genes has been associated with elevated liver fat and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in adults. The influence of these genes on liver fat and whether a genetic risk score (GRS) would improve upon the ability of common clinical risk factors to predict elevated liver fat content (ELF) in Hispanic children was determined.

Design and methods

223 obese Hispanic children were genotyped for six SNPs. MRI was used to measure liver fat. A GRS was tested for association with ELF using multivariate linear regression. Predictors were assessed via ROC curves and pair-wise analysis was used to determine significance alone and combined with clinical markers.

Results

Only variants in PNPLA3 and APOC3 genes were associated with liver fat (P < 0.001

SUBMITTER: Walker RW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3855210 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature