https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33346572/ NAFLD

J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2020 Dec 16;Publish Ahead of Print. doi: 10.1097/MPG.0000000000003024. Online ahead of print.

Incidence of Depression and Anxiety in a Cohort of Adolescents with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Sheila Noon 1 , Danielle D'Annibale, Melanie Schwimmer, Jacqueline Shiels, Jennifer Arin, Janis Durelle, Kimberly Newton, Nidhi Goyal, Jeffrey Schwimmer

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the incidence of clinically diagnosed depression and anxiety in adolescents with NAFLD.

Methods: This was a prospective, longitudinal cohort study between January 1, 2012 and July 1, 2018 conducted in a Children's Hospital Pediatric Gastroenterology Clinic. Participants included adolescents age 12-17 years at baseline with biopsy-confirmed NAFLD. The primary outcomes were having depression and/or anxiety based upon a clinical diagnosis established by a physician or psychologist. The rates of depression and anxiety were measured at baseline and longitudinally throughout follow-up.
Results: 160 adolescents with NAFLD were followed for a mean of 3.8 years. At baseline, 8.1% had a diagnosis of depression. During follow-up, an additional 9.5% (95% CI, 4.7%-14.3%) developed depression. The incidence density of depression was 27 new cases per 1000 person-years at risk. In adolescents with NAFLD, 6.3% had anxiety at baseline and 6.7% (95% CI, 2.6%-10.7%) developed anxiety during follow-up. The incidence density of anxiety was 18 new cases per 1000 person-years at risk. The change in alanine aminotransferase was significantly worse for adolescents with NAFLD who developed depression compared to those who did not develop depression (p < 0.01).

Conclusions: Adolescents with NAFLD had a high incidence of clinically diagnosed depression and anxiety. The rates were higher than expected relative to the available data in the general population. Addressing this mental health burden will require efforts at both the patient level and the systems level.

Published on: 
Dec-2020

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