title: Prevalence and factors of elevated alanine aminotransferase in central Taiwan - a retrospective study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aims of this study were to assess the prevalence of elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and explore its related factors in Central Taiwan.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study employed a retrospective design. The study selected a sample of 5,550 subjects between the years 2000 to 2004. The indivduals undergoing health examinations in a medical center in Central Taiwan were enrolled as subjects for this research. The patients' demographics, smoking and drinking habits, laboratory findings, and abdominal ultrasound results were collected and analyzed. Correlations between variables were analyzed using SPSS/ PC Windows for frequency distribution, t-test, Chi-square test, and multivariate logistic regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 3103 men (55.9%) and 2447 women (44.1%). The mean age was 49.4 ± 12.3 years (age range of 20-87). The overall prevalence of elevated ALT was 17.1%, with a significant gender difference (23.2% in men vs. 9.4% in women, P < .0001). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the factors significantly related to elevated ALT were central obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, and anti-HCV positive in men and women.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Central obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, and anti-HCV positive are factors predominantly related to elevated ALT in men and women.
authors.affiliation: School of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, 404, Taichung, Taiwan.|College of Medicine, China Medical University, 404, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hsien-Feng
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine, China Medical University, 404, Taichung, Taiwan.|Department of Family Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, 404, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Shih-Wei
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine, China Medical University, 404, Taichung, Taiwan.|Department of Family Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, 404, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wen-Yuan
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine, China Medical University, 404, Taichung, Taiwan.|Department of Family Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, 404, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chiu-Shong
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine, China Medical University, 404, Taichung, Taiwan.|Department of Family Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, 404, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Cheng-Chieh
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Tungs' Taichung Metro Habor Hospital, 435, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ching-Mei
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Chang
keywords: ALT; Hepatitis B; Hepatitis C; Hypertriglyceridemia; Obesity