Association between occupational stress and aminotransferase activity in patients with metabolic syndrome

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the association between occupational stress and activity of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in patients with metabolic syndrome. Methods: A case-control study was performed. According to inclusion and exclusion criteria, among the staff members of enterprises and public institutions aged 20~60 years who underwent physical examination in The Affiliated Hospital of Ningxia Medical University and The People's Hospital of Wuzhong from October 2011 to October 2012, 622 patients with metabolic syndrome who did not have a blood relationship with each other were enrolled as case group, and 600 healthy staff members who also did not have a blood relationshipwith each otherwere enrolled as control group. Questionnaire investigation, chronic occupational stress investigation, physical examination, and laboratory tests were performed for all subjects. Results: Compared with the control group, the case group had significantly higher serum levels and abnormal rates of AST and ALT (t=-4.338 and-5.485, χ(2)=11.168 and 34.302, all P<0.05) . There were no significantdifferences in the serum level and abnormal rate of AST between the subgroups with different occupational stresses in both groups (F=2.192 and 2.567, χ(2)=2.694 and 5.402, all P>0.05) , but there were significant differencesbetween the subgroups in all subjects (F=5.005, χ(2)=6.398, all P<0.05) . There were no significant differences in the serum level and abnormal rate of ALT between thesubgroups with different occupational stresses in the case group, the control group, and all subjects (F=0.845, 0.450, and 1.416, χ(2)=2.564, 1.344, and 3.147, all P>0.05) . The partial correlation analysis showed that the total score of occupational stress was positively correlated withthe serum level of AST (r=0.071, P<0.05) and was not correlated with the serum level of ALT (r=-0.044, P>0.05) , and that the serum level of AST was positively correlated with that of ALT (r=0.736, P<0.05) . After the adjustment for age, sex, nationality, smoking, drinking, marital status, and degree of education, the total score of occupational stress was positively correlated with the serum level of AST (r=0.069, P<0.05) and was not correlated with the serum level of ALT (r=-0.042, P>0.05) , and the serum level of AST was positively correlated with that of ALT (r=0.730, P<0.05) . The multiple linear regression analysis showed that the serum level of AST increased with the increasing occupational stress (b=0.131, P=0.013) . Conclusion: Occupational stress is associated with increased serum level of AST, and the serum level of AST increases with the increasing occupational stress. Increased risk of metabolic syndrome caused by occupational stress may be associated with the increased activity of AST caused by occupational stress.