Liraglutide with Lifestyle Intervention in Adolescents with Overweight/Obesity, Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, and Type II Diabetes Mellitus

There is a strong interplay between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), obesity, insulin resistance, and type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Liraglutide, a glucagon-like-peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogue, is FDA approved for T2DM in children 10 years or older and more recently approved for chronic weight management in children 12 years or older with obesity. GLP-1 analogues have also been shown to reduce liver enzymes and improve liver histology. We report two adolescent females with T2DM and biopsy proven nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) refractory to lifestyle intervention who were safety treated with liraglutide with associated weight loss and liver enzyme improvement. This is the first case series reporting use of liraglutide in pediatric NASH. Liraglutide should be considered in pediatric patients with overweight/obesity, NAFLD, and T2DM.