Work

Prevalence of liver steatosis and stiffness by transient elastography and serum markers in Japanese early adolescents

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: in the general pediatric population, and to assess their associations with sex, BMI, abdominal circumference (AC), and serum parameters. METHODS: The CAP and LSM were measured in 1,435 children aged 9-12 years in the Aichi Regional Adjunct Study of the Japan Environment and Children's Study. Elevated CAP and LSM values were defined by age-specific CAP and LSM cutoffs (11-12 and 9-10 years: CAP >225 and >220 dB/m and LSM >6.5 and >5.8 kPa, respectively). Multivariate logistic regression, adjusted for sex, BMI, AC, HDL-Chol, non-HDL-Chol, TG, and ALT levels, was performed. RESULTS: At 11-12 years, the prevalence of elevated CAP and LSM was 12.6% and 2.9%, respectively. Children with higher CAP exhibited significantly higher BMI and AC. TG and ALT levels were significantly associated with higher CAP, whereas lower non-HDL-Chol levels were significantly associated with higher LSM. At 9-10 years, higher LSM was more prevalent in males. CONCLUSION: This study reports the prevalence of elevated CAP and LSM values and their association with biomarkers in a large cohort of the general pediatric population in Japan. This partially contributes to the understanding of the epidemiology of MASLD and supports the development of early prevention and risk-stratification approaches.

Source: Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine

DOI: 10.1265/ehpm.26-00150