Can Asprosin be Used as a Diagnostic Biomarker for Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Obese Children?

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Introduction: As obesity rates rise among children, non-alcholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is becoming more prevalent.Although liver biopsy is considered the gold standard for diagnosing NAFLD, it is an invasive procedure and not practical for screening.Asprosin, a recently unveiled adipokine, is released in response to fasting.In this study, we aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of asprosin for NAFLD in obese patients.Materials and Methods: A total of 142 participants (71 obese, 71 control) aged between 6 and 18 years were included in the study.Obese patients were also divided to subgroup as NAFLD (+) and NAFLD (-) according to hepatobiliary ultrasonopgraphic features and compared with each other regarding their clinical and laboratory features, including asprosin level.Results: When comparing obese and non-obese patients, asprosin levels were significantly higher in the obese group (P=0.034).NAFLD was diagnosed in 35 (49.2%) of the obese cases.While body mass index (BMI) were similar; waist circumference and insulin resistance were higher in patients with NAFLD.When comparing Asprosin, interleukine-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosing factor alpha (TNF-α) levels, no statistically significant differences were observed between the NAFLD (+) and NAFLD (-) subgroups.The level of Asprosin showed a positive correlation with IL-6 and TNF-α levels, while no significant relationship was found between the asprosin and any clinical or laboratory parameters in obese patients with NAFLD.Conclusion: Serum asprosin levels were elevated in obese children.However, there were no significant findings to support the use of asprosin levels as a non-traumatic diagnostic indicator for NAFLD diagnosis in the pediatric age. ÖzGiriş: Çocuklar arasında obezite oranlarının artmasıyla birlikte, alkole bağlı olmayan karaciğer yağlanması hastalığı (NAFLD) daha yaygın hale gelmektedir.Karaciğer biyopsisi NAFLD tanısında altın standart olarak kabul edilse de, invaziv bir işlem olması nedeniyle tarama amaçlı kullanımı pratik değildir.Yakın zamanda keşfedilen bir adipokin olan asprosin, açlık durumunda salınmaktadır.Bu çalışmada, obez hastalarda NAFLD tanısında asprosinin tanısal değerini araştırmayı amaçladık.Gereç ve Yöntem: Çalışmaya yaşları 6 ile 18 arasında değişen toplam 142 katılımcı (71 obez, 71 kontrol) dahil edildi.Obez hastalar, hepatobilier ultrasonografik bulgulara göre NAFLD (+) ve NAFLD (-) olarak iki alt gruba ayrıldı ve klinik ve laboratuvar bulguları (asprosin düzeyi dahil) açısından karşılaştırıldı.