MASLD in childhood as a multisystem health challenge beyond the liver

Trends Endocrinol Metab. 2025 Oct 28:S1043-2760(25)00222-X. doi: 10.1016/j.tem.2025.10.001. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The rising prevalence of childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes has made metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) an urgent pediatric health concern. Beyond its well-known hepatic and cardiometabolic burden, emerging evidence also links MASLD to impaired bone health, growth deficits, sleep disturbances, and neurobehavioral issues including depression and anxiety. These extrahepatic complications significantly affect long-term health and psychosocial risks. Progression to steatohepatitis and fibrosis may also increase the lifetime risk of hepatic and extrahepatic cancers. Greater clinical awareness and further research into its mechanisms and comorbidities are urgently needed; moreover, early detection and coordinated, multidisciplinary care will be essential to improve patient outcomes. We explore the multifaceted long-term health impact of MASLD as a childhood-onset multisystem disorder.

PMID:41162232 | DOI:10.1016/j.tem.2025.10.001