TY - JOUR
T1 - Influence of age, sex, and degree of liver fibrosis on the association between serum alanine aminotransferase levels and liver inflammation in patients with chronic hepatitis C
AU - Toyoda, Hidenori
AU - Kumada, Takashi
AU - Kiriyama, Seiki
AU - Sone, Yasuhiro
AU - Tanikawa, Makoto
AU - Hisanaga, Yasuhiro
AU - Hayashi, Kazuhiko
AU - Honda, Takashi
AU - Kuzuya, Teiji
PY - 2004/2
Y1 - 2004/2
N2 - In 504 patients with chronic hepatitis C who underwent liver biopsy, the correlation between serum ALT levels and histologic liver inflammation was investigated, and the effects of age, sex, and degree of histologic liver fibrosis on this correlation were analyzed. Serum ALT levels were significantly higher in male than in female patients only when activity of hepatitis was mild. In contrast, ALT levels were significantly higher in younger (≤50 years old) than in older patients only when activity of liver inflammation was severe. Fibrosis was closely associated with activity of hepatitis and, also, serum ALT level. More importantly, a significant number of older patients and patients with severe hepatic fibrosis had severe hepatic inflammation even when their serum ALT level was not markedly elevated (≤70 IU/L). Age, sex, and degree of liver fibrosis independently influenced serum ALT levels in patients with chronic hepatitis C.
AB - In 504 patients with chronic hepatitis C who underwent liver biopsy, the correlation between serum ALT levels and histologic liver inflammation was investigated, and the effects of age, sex, and degree of histologic liver fibrosis on this correlation were analyzed. Serum ALT levels were significantly higher in male than in female patients only when activity of hepatitis was mild. In contrast, ALT levels were significantly higher in younger (≤50 years old) than in older patients only when activity of liver inflammation was severe. Fibrosis was closely associated with activity of hepatitis and, also, serum ALT level. More importantly, a significant number of older patients and patients with severe hepatic fibrosis had severe hepatic inflammation even when their serum ALT level was not markedly elevated (≤70 IU/L). Age, sex, and degree of liver fibrosis independently influenced serum ALT levels in patients with chronic hepatitis C.
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U2 - 10.1023/B:DDAS.0000017454.46589.66
DO - 10.1023/B:DDAS.0000017454.46589.66
M3 - Article
C2 - 15104373
AN - SCOPUS:1642325466
SN - 0163-2116
VL - 49
SP - 295
EP - 299
JO - Digestive Diseases and Sciences
JF - Digestive Diseases and Sciences
IS - 2
ER -
