Prevalence of abnormal serum liver enzymes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a cross-sectional study from China.
OBJECTIVE
This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the prevalence of elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in Chinese type 2 diabetic patients and identify contributing risk factors.


METHODS
This cross-sectional study was conducted in rural areas of China, and 1,198 type 2 diabetic patients with complete data were recruited. Elevated ALT and AST levels were defined as >40 U/L. Prevalence of abnormal liver enzymes was analyzed and multivariable analysis was used to identify independent risk factors.


RESULTS
10.3% and 6.1% diabetic patients had elevated ALT and elevated AST, respectively. The prevalence of elevated liver enzymes was gender-related; it was 13.8% in men and 7.5% in women for elevated ALT, and 7.4% in men and 3.1% in women for elevated AST. High triglyceride was positively associated with both elevated ALT (OR 1.80, 95% CI 1.08-3.01, p = 0.024) and elevated AST (OR 2.24, 95%CI 1.08-4.65, p = 0.031), while taking anti-diabetes medicine was inversely related to both elevated ALT (OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.29-0.80, p = 0.005) and elevated AST (OR 0.37, 95% CI 0.17-0.82, p = 0.014). The risk of elevated ALT in diabetic patients increased with the presence of obesity (OR 2.54, 95% CI 1.07-6.01, p = 0.034), and was lower in women (OR 0.37, 95% CI 0.19-0.72, p = 0.003). Hypertension (OR 4.33, 95% CI 1.41-13.30, p = 0.011), current drinking status (OR 2.90, 95% CI 1.21-6.96, p = 0.017) and national minority (OR 3.26, 95%CI 1.31-8.12, p = 0.011) were risk factors for elevated AST.


CONCLUSIONS
A relatively high prevalence of abnormal serum liver enzymes in diabetic patients was demonstrated in China, especially in males. More attention should be paid to preventing liver injuries in diabetic patients.
a Department of Cardiology , The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University , Shenyang , P.R. China.
Shuang
S
Chen
a Department of Cardiology , The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University , Shenyang , P.R. China.
Xiaofan
X
Guo
a Department of Cardiology , The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University , Shenyang , P.R. China.
Yintao
Y
Chen
b Department of Thoracic Surgery , The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University , Shenyang , P.R. China.
Siyuan
S
Dong
a Department of Cardiology , The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University , Shenyang , P.R. China.
Yingxian
Y
Sun
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood*; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D044466:Asian People; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood*; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001837:Body Weights and Measures; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D014280:Triglycerides; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase
Alanine aminotransferase; aspartate aminotransferase; cross-sectional; liver enzymes; type 2 diabetes mellitus