http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9573678&dopt=Abstract
Study of serum alanine-aminotransferase levels in blood
donors in Spain.
Lozano M, Cid J, Bedini JL, Mazzara R, Gimenez N, Mas E, Ballesta A, Ordinas
A.
Department of Hemotherapy and Hemostasis, Hospital Clinic i Provincial,
University of Barcelona, Spain. mlozano@medicina.ub.es
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Serum
alanine-aminotransferase
(ALT) is being used as a surrogate test for preventing post-transfusion viral
hepatitis. However, ALT elevation is influenced by many factors. We have studied
ALT levels in 1,036 consecutive blood donors to determine their association with
gender, obesity, and hepatitis virus infection markers. DESIGN AND
METHODS: In each donation aspartate-aminotransferase (AST), lactate
dehydrogenase (LDH) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (gamma GT) activity were also
determined and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. RESULTS: Five hundred
seventy-nine men and 457 women donated blood; ALT activity was 25.3 +/- 14.5 IU/L
(mean +/- SD) for men and 16.3 +/- 7.9 IU/L for women (p < or = 0.0005). The
upper normal value for men was 56 IU/L and 34 IU/L for women. On applying this
value to the study group 4.8% of the men and 2% of the women had values greater
than the cutoff. Among the men with increased ALT levels, 53.5% had a BMI > 27,
7.1% also had an increased level of GGT and 7.1% had increased levels of AST and
LDH. None of them were HBsAg nor anti-HCV positive. Among the women with
increased ALT, 33.3% had BMI > 27, 33.3% had increased levels of LDH and AST,
and 11.1% were anti-HCV positive (only 1 donor). INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS:
It seems clear that different cutoff
values should be considered for men and women. Factors such as obesity, may
account for more than 50% of the cases with increased ALT values, indicating the
low specificity of the test.
PMID: 9573678 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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