title: Etiology and prevalence of abnormal serum alanine aminotransferase levels in a general population in Northeast China.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chronic liver diseases are a major burden in China. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) can be used as an indicator of hepatocyte damage. In this study, we determined the prevalence and etiologies of elevated ALT in an adult population in Jilin, China.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 4072 individuals aged between 18 and 79 years were first interviewed, and then underwent ultrasonography and blood tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of elevated ALT was 17.53%. The most noticeable risk factor for ALT elevation was non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) (accounting for 10.79%), metabolic syndrome (16.25%), or both (20.31%). The development of NAFLD occurred mostly in female peasants and small businessmen with increased income, age, fasting plasma glucose, body mass index, triglyceridemia, and low-density lipoprotein and decreased education level, high-density lipoprotein. Elevated ALT frequently occurred in low education level, male peasants and small businessmen with increased income, body mass index and triglyceride who had NAFLD and/or metabolic syndrome. However, elevated ALT with infection of hepatitis B or C virus was not associated with metabolic disorders, but rather with gender, occupation and increased age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results from the current study demonstrate that elevated ALT is fairly high in the Northeast population (17.53%) and that the cause of its elevation is mostly due to NAFLD and metabolic syndrome.
authors: Department of Hepatology, First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, China.
authors: Hong
authors: H
authors: Zhang
authors: Yan-fang
authors: YF
authors: Jiang
authors: Shu-mei
authors: SM
authors: He
authors: Jie
authors: J
authors: Sun
authors: Qing
authors: Q
authors: Gu
authors: Xiang-wei
authors: XW
authors: Feng
authors: Bing
authors: B
authors: DU
authors: Wei
authors: W
authors: Wang
authors: Xiao-dong
authors: XD
authors: Shi
authors: Chun-yan
authors: CY
authors: Wang
authors: Si-qi
authors: SQ
authors: Zhang
authors: Wan-yu
authors: WY
authors: Li
authors: Jun-qi
authors: JQ
authors: Niu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood*; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000097:blood; D008875:Middle Aged; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; D012737:Sex Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000410:Alanine Transaminase