Cirrhosis cases soar among Britain's fat children

[Thom Little]

Doctors have reported the first cases of teenagers with signs of cirrhosis caused by overeating, as the epidemic of childhood obesity in Britain becomes clear.

One leading expert in childhood liver diseases said the number of teenagers suffering from the disease that most commonly leads to cirrhosis, a condition normally associated with chronic alcoholism, had risen by between 12 and 20 times in the past decade.

.......

Prof Georgina Mieli-Vergani, a consultant paediatric hepatologist at King's College Hospital in London, said: "I have seen a 15-year-old boy, hugely overweight, who was suffering from cirrhosis and a great increase in other liver problems caused by obesity."

She said that there had been an extraordinary rise in the number of cases of the severe liver condition known as non-alcoholic steato-hepatitis (NASH), which preceeds the onset of cirrhosis.

"Ten years ago, I might see one child every two years with NASH, but now it is anywhere from six to 10," she said.



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/11/29/ncirr29.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/11/29/ixhome.html

[REP]

1. Only 10% of Those with NAFLD/NASH Progress to Fibrosis/Cirrhosis

NAFLD (Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, another name for NASH) is not quite as dire as this over-the-top article makes it seem. It's always been the major cause of liver problems in adolescents, and those with NASH rarely progress to anythng worse *unless* they are heavy drinkers and/or uncontrolled diabetics.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

2. Milk thistle, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Lecithin, B12, Dandelion, not a

problem. Now if they get the best medical minds have to offer, you can count these safe and effective interventions out.

[smirkymonkey]

3. How do they know that teenage drinking isn't also a culprit?

I have known of alcoholics as young as 8 years old - given Britain's drinking culture, I am sure that some of these kids get started early. Of course the obesity doesn't help.

[DELUSIONAL]

4. high fructose corn syrup is used to sweeten nearly everything

and the liver is on overtime producing the enzyme needed to digest HFCS.

I've read elsewhere that liver ailments have increased in the general population of the US with the high intake of HFCS.

Could be these children are drinking and eating a lot of sweets which are high in HFCS.

[Javaman]

5. Gives a whole new meaning to, "please, sir, may I have somemore?"