Obese children with steatohepatitis can develop cirrhosis in childhood.

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, in which fatty change and inflammation of the liver occur in the absence of excess alcohol intake, is increasingly recognized in obese children. Although fibrosis is common in pediatric nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, cirrhosis has been reported rarely. The two boys reported here developed cirrhosis from nonalcoholic steatohepatitis at ages 10 and 14 yr. One child progressed to cirrhosis with symptomatic portal hypertension within a 2-yr period.