Abstract
BackgroundThe aims of this study were to assess the prevalence of elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and explore its related factors in Central Taiwan.MethodsThe study employed a retrospective design. The study selected a sample of 5,550 subjects between the years 2000 to 2004. The indivduals undergoing health examinations in a medical center in Central Taiwan were enrolled as subjects for this research. The patients’ demographics, smoking and drinking habits, laboratory findings, and abdominal ultrasound results were collected and analyzed. Correlations between variables were analyzed using SPSS/ PC Windows for frequency distribution, t-test, Chi-square test, and multivariate logistic regression.ResultsThere were 3103 men (55.9%) and 2447 women (44.1%). The mean age was 49.4 ± 12.3 years (age range of 20-87). The overall prevalence of elevated ALT was 17.1%, with a significant gender difference (23.2% in men vs. 9.4% in women, P < .0001). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the factors significantly related to elevated ALT were central obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, and anti-HCV positive in men and women.ConclusionsCentral obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, and anti-HCV positive are factors predominantly related to elevated ALT in men and women.
Highlights
IntroductionIncreasing evidence indicates that histologically advanced liver disease (i.e., cirrhosis) may accompany normal or minimally elevated aminotransferase levels [3,4,5]
Elevated serum aminotransaminase is normal in some healthy persons
Our study found that men (23.2%) had a higher prevalence of elevated ALT than women (9.4%)
Summary
Increasing evidence indicates that histologically advanced liver disease (i.e., cirrhosis) may accompany normal or minimally elevated aminotransferase levels [3,4,5]. Further compounding this issue is the elevated ALT and AST are commonly detected in apparently healthy persons [6]. The aims of this study were to assess the prevalence of elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and explore its related factors in Central Taiwan. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the factors significantly related to elevated ALT were central obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, and anti-HCV positive in men and women. Conclusions: Central obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, and anti-HCV positive are factors predominantly related to elevated ALT in men and women
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