title: Ethnicity and elevated liver transaminases among newly diagnosed children with type 2 diabetes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To examine the influence of ethnicity on liver transaminases among adolescents with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective medical chart review of 57 (30 males and 27 females) newly diagnosed patients with T2DM. Ethnicity was determined by self-report and height, weight, body mass index (BMI) and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were obtained using standard clinical procedures. Fasting levels of alanine aminotransaminase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were collected prior to the initiation of any therapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Age, gender, height, weight, BMI, and HbA1c did not differ between ethnic groups. Compared to African-Americans, Hispanics had significantly higher ALT (23.9 ± 3.4 vs. 107.8 ± 20.3, p=0.002) and AST (17.7 ± 2.5 vs. 71.1 ± 15.7, p<0.001) and were significantly more likely to have ALT values above the upper limit of normal (20% vs. 71%, p=0.005) and twice the upper limit of normal (0% vs. 39%, p=0.05) as well as AST values above the upper limit of normal (0% vs. 53%, p=0.002). No differences in ALT or AST were found between Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites or between African-Americans and non-Hispanic whites.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These preliminary findings suggest that Hispanic children with T2DM may be at higher risk for developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and indicate that a comprehensive hepatic evaluation is warranted in this population. Future studies that incorporate more precise and proximal measures of liver health are warranted in this population.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, Phoenix Children's Hospital, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
authors.forename: Omar D
authors.initials: OD
authors.lastname: Hudson
authors.forename: Martha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nunez
authors.forename: Gabriel Q
authors.initials: GQ
authors.lastname: Shaibi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood*; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000208:ethnology; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D044465:White People
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase