Lipids & metabolic liver disease
Starting Age for Screening Metabolic Dysfunction‐Associated Steatotic Liver Disease in Children Using Controlled Attenuation Parameter on Transient Elastography
Authors' conclusion
Screening for hepatic steatosis associated with obesity should begin as early as school grade 1, while screening for children with overweight may be more appropriate by school grade 6. These findings emphasise the need for age- and weight-specific screening strategies for children with overweight and obesity.
Study context
- Population
- Healthy primary school children; Controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) on transient elastography; recruited August 2020-March 2021 and February 2023-May 2024mean age 9.5 ± 1.7 years
- Participants
- 1,653 children
- Exposure
- Overweight vs Obesity
- Outcome
- Prevalence of MASLD
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- MASLD prevalence, overweight, school grade 1
- 0%
- MASLD prevalence, obesity, school grade 1
- 16%
- MASLD prevalence, overweight, school grade 6
- 19%
- MASLD prevalence, obesity, school grade 6
- 75%
- Increase from grade 1 to grade 6
- p < 0.001
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
CAP cut-off for hepatic steatosis (reference intervals from normal-weight children)
- Normal-weight children used for reference intervals
- 976
- Hepatic steatosis: CAP above (97.5th percentile)
- 247 dB/m
Original publication
Starting Age for Screening Metabolic Dysfunction‐Associated Steatotic Liver Disease in Children Using Controlled Attenuation Parameter on Transient Elastography. Pediatr Obes. Published 22 December 2025. doi:10.
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