A silent disease that affects one of the body’s most powerful organs is quickly gaining traction in children worldwide. Once an adult-specific condition, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is afflicting children and young adults.
NAFLD affects 10 percent of children in the general population and an estimated 36 percent of children with obesity, and is on the rise—according to an analysis conducted for the Washington Post, the rate of NAFLD has more than doubled in children up to the age of 17 since 2017. The condition has profound implications that could set children up to face cirrhosis and end-stage liver disease by the time they enter adulthood.
