title: Serum transaminase elevation in children with rotavirus gastroenteritis: seven years' experience.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There are no studies on clinically significant transaminase elevation due to rotavirus gastroenteritis in the literature. Also, there are significant discrepancies among previous studies regarding the prevalence of increased serum transaminase levels in rotavirus infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients investigated for rotavirus by stool antigen testing, who were followed between January 2005 and May 2012, were retrospectively enrolled in this study. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to their rotavirus results: rotavirus-positive acute gastroenteritis (RPAG) and rotavirus-negative acute gastroenteritis (RNAG) groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 4317 children who presented with acute gastroenteritis were assessed. The study was completed with 642 patients who met the inclusion criteria. In the RPAG group (n = 272), elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was found in 42 (15.4%) patients and elevated aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in 69 (25.4%), while in the RNAG group (n = 370), these numbers were 25 (6.8%) and 44 (11.9%), respectively. The elevated ALT and AST levels were found to be significantly higher in the RPAG group than in the RNAG group (both p < 0.001). The prevalence of elevated transaminase levels was found to be similar with respect to gastroenteritis severity score (p > 0.05). The high serum transaminase levels normalized uneventfully in all patients in the RPAG and RNAG groups during follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study, our results clearly signify a liver influence in rotavirus infections. Therefore, rotavirus infections should be kept in mind when evaluating the aetiology of transaminase elevation in patients with acute gastroenteritis.
authors.affiliation: Deparment of Paediatrics, Fatih University Medical School, Ankara, Turkey. akelma@gmail.com
authors.forename: Ahmet Zülfikar
authors.initials: AZ
authors.lastname: Akelma
authors.forename: Irem
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kütükoğlu
authors.forename: Tülin
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Köksal
authors.forename: Mehmet Nevzat
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Cizmeci
authors.forename: Mehmet Kenan
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Kanburoglu
authors.forename: Ferhat
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Catal
authors.forename: Emin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mete
authors.forename: Davut
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bozkaya
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Namuslu
mesh_terms: D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood*; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005243:Feces / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000097:blood / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000201:enzymology*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
chemical_list: D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase