Relation between elevated serum alanine aminotransferase and metabolic syndrome in Korean adolescents.
BACKGROUND
Concern is growing about nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, not only because it is a common liver disorder but also because it is one of the leading causes of chronic liver disease. Unexplained elevations in aminotransferase concentrations have been strongly associated with adiposity and thus may represent nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.


OBJECTIVE
We investigated the relation between nonviral or nonalcoholic elevations in alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and the metabolic syndrome in Korean adolescents.


METHODS
Data were obtained from 1594 subjects aged 10-19 y from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1998, a cross-sectional health survey of a nationally representative sample of noninstitutionalized civilian South Koreans. Body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting glucose, lipid profiles, and serum ALT were measured.


RESULTS
The prevalence of elevated ALT (> 40 U/L) was 3.6% in boys and 2.8% in girls. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 3.3% in both boys and girls. The components of the metabolic syndrome were significantly worse in the group with elevated ALT concentrations than in the group with normal ALT concentrations. The odds ratios (95% CIs) for elevated ALT were 6.6 (3.7, 11.8), 2.3 (1.2, 4.6), and 3.0 (1.6, 5.8) in the adolescents with abdominal obesity, high triacylglycerol concentrations, and low HDL-cholesterol concentrations, respectively. The odds ratios for elevated ALT were 1.5 (0.7, 3.1), 2.6 (1.1, 6.2), and 6.2 (2.3, 16.8) in the adolescents with 1, 2, and > or = 3 risk factors (metabolic syndrome), respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
The metabolic syndrome was strongly associated with elevated ALT concentrations in Korean adolescents, and this association existed in a graded fashion across the number of metabolic components.
Park
Hye Soon
HS
Department of Family Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Han
Jee Hye
JH
Choi
Kyung Mook
KM
Kim
Seon Mee
SM
D050153:Abdominal Fat / Q000201:enzymology; D000293:Adolescent; D017195:Adolescent Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000328:Adult; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood*; D002648:Child; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000097:blood / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000453:epidemiology; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood / Q000201:enzymology / Q000453:epidemiology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D014280:Triglycerides; D000410:Alanine Transaminase