Evaluación del seguimiento de niños con hallazgo de hipertransaminasemia

Abstract

Although changes in liver function tests can be non-specific in numerous clinical conditions, they can be the first sign of a potentially serious disease in an asymptomatic patient. Retrospective cohort study, performed by reviewing the records of children of a reference hospital central laboratory with alanine aminorransferase enzyme (ALT) elevation during a 6 month aleatory period. 572 blood tests with serum ALT elevation corresponding to 403 patients had been assessed during the period studied. 98 patients were excluded for presenting abnormal liver test before the study period of comorbidity that could produce ALT elevation. The remaining 305 patients, 22.6% were diagnosed with a medical condition during the first blood test that explained the ALT elevation, although only 33.3% of them were followed up until verifying their normalization. Final study sample consists of 236 patients with abnormal liver test without apparent liver disease. Adequate follow-up was found only in 29% of them. From this group, 9 patients (13%) were diagnosed with liver disease. The rest of the sample were not properly monitored. In patients with higher serum ALT levels, follow-up was early and more appropiate. In our area, most children without apparent liver disease are no properly monitored. Therefore, an opportunity to diagnosis and treat a potential liver disease was lost in a great number of children. All children with unexplainedhypertransaminasaemia must be studied.