http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8610707&dopt=Abstract
Alcoholism, hepatitis B and C viral infections, and impaired
liver function among Taiwanese aboriginal groups.
Shen CY, Lee HS, Huang LC, Tsai KS, Chen DS, Cheng AT.
Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan.
Viral hepatitis and alcoholism prevail in four major Taiwanese aboriginal
groups. To study the relative importance of the acquisition of hepatitis B virus
or hepatitis C virus infection and alcoholism to the presence of impaired liver
function in these groups, the authors conducted a semistructured clinical
interview for alcoholism and test for seromarkers for viral hepatitis among 993
cohort members enrolled in 1990-1992 in an ongoing prospective study (Taiwan
Aboriginal Study Project). The subjects' blood specimens were tested for serum
alanine aminotransferase/aspartate aminotransferase levels and for the presence
of hepatitis B surface antigen and anti-hepatitis C virus antibody. The
prevalence of a combination of an alanine aminotransferase level of > 35 IU/liter
and an aspartate aminotransferase level of > 40 IU/liter, implying impaired
liver function or advanced liver disease, was 4.3% overall.
Univariate
and multiple logistic regression analysis showed that, rather than chronic
hepatitis B virus infection, hepatitis C virus infection and alcoholism were the
two dominant risk factors that
signalled the risk of liver
damage among these Taiwanese aborigines. In addition, these two contributing
factors were able to act synergistically to cause impaired liver function.
PMID: 8610707 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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