title: An association of serum ALT with elevated blood pressure in senior adults: a case-control study.
abstract: Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases in China; hence, identifying good serum markers might provide cost benefits in terms of reducing morbidity rates. In this population-based case-control study, participants were recruited from five districts in Hunan province, and 416 cases were matched with an equal number of controls. Markers related to elevated blood pressure were assessed: Body Mass Index, total cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting blood glucose, and creatinine. Three potential serum markers homocysteine (HCY), C-reactive protein (CRP), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were dichotomized as normal or high level. Binary logistic regression was used to determine odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The findings showed that ALT is a powerful serum marker for predicting high risk of high blood pressure with OR = 2.94, 95% CI (1.44-6.02), while there were no significant differences between cases and controls for HCY and CRP. Additionally, it seems likely that high concentrations of HCY conferred a protective effect against elevated blood pressure. When adjusted for sex, ORs for hypertensive females were nearly five times higher than for hypertensive males (OR = 4.34, 95% CI = 1.17-16.04). The study strongly supports findings showing ALT is a potential indicator for patients with hypertension.
authors.affiliation: a School of Public Health , Central South University , Changsha , China.
authors.forename: Xiuqin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: b School of Biomedical Sciences , Charles Sturt University , New South Wales , Australia.
authors.forename: Nualnong
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wongtongkam
authors.affiliation: c School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine , Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University , South Australia , Australia.
authors.forename: Paul Russell
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Ward
authors.affiliation: d Center for Global Health , Central South University , Changsha , China.
authors.forename: Shuiyuan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: e Institute of Gerontology, Hunan Geriatric Hospital , Changsha , China.
authors.forename: Shuling
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: e Institute of Gerontology, Hunan Geriatric Hospital , Changsha , China.
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: e Institute of Gerontology, Hunan Geriatric Hospital , Changsha , China.
authors.forename: Qi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zuo
authors.affiliation: e Institute of Gerontology, Hunan Geriatric Hospital , Changsha , China.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.affiliation: e Institute of Gerontology, Hunan Geriatric Hospital , Changsha , China.
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: e Institute of Gerontology, Hunan Geriatric Hospital , Changsha , China.
authors.forename: Chenxu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: e Institute of Gerontology, Hunan Geriatric Hospital , Changsha , China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: e Institute of Gerontology, Hunan Geriatric Hospital , Changsha , China.
authors.forename: Na
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D000410:Alanine Transaminase
keywords: Alanine aminotransferase; China; biomarkers; elderly; hypertension