Updated upper limit of normal for serum alanine aminotransferase value in Vietnamese population

Background Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is a marker of hepatic damage and its range can be affected by viral hepatitis, alcoholic hepatitis and non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases. We aimed to study the factors associated with higher ALT level and update the upper limit of normal (ULN) in the Vietn...

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Main Authors: Nguyen Tien Huy, Tieu Minh Thuan, Nguyen Thi Cam Huong, Sedighe Karimzadeh, Nguyen Thi Thanh, Ghada Mohamed Sabbah, Khaled Ismaeil, Dang Nguyen Trung An, Lai To Huong, Pham Thi Le Hoa
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2022-10-01
Series:BMJ Open Gastroenterology
Online Access:https://bmjopengastro.bmj.com/content/9/1/e000870.full
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author Nguyen Tien Huy
Tieu Minh Thuan
Nguyen Thi Cam Huong
Sedighe Karimzadeh
Nguyen Thi Thanh
Ghada Mohamed Sabbah
Khaled Ismaeil
Dang Nguyen Trung An
Lai To Huong
Pham Thi Le Hoa
author_facet Nguyen Tien Huy
Tieu Minh Thuan
Nguyen Thi Cam Huong
Sedighe Karimzadeh
Nguyen Thi Thanh
Ghada Mohamed Sabbah
Khaled Ismaeil
Dang Nguyen Trung An
Lai To Huong
Pham Thi Le Hoa
author_sort Nguyen Tien Huy
collection DOAJ
description Background Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is a marker of hepatic damage and its range can be affected by viral hepatitis, alcoholic hepatitis and non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases. We aimed to study the factors associated with higher ALT level and update the upper limit of normal (ULN) in the Vietnamese population.Methods This cross-sectional study enrolled 8383 adults, aged 18 years and older who visited the Medical Center at Ho Chi Minh City for a health check-up. Following the exclusion criteria, 6677 subjects were included in the analysis.Results Age ≤40 years, male gender, body mass index >23 kg/m2, diastolic blood pressure >85 mm Hg, cholesterol >5.2 mmol/L, triglyceride >1.7 mmol/L, positivity, anti-hepatitis C virus positivity and fatty liver (p<0.05) were associated with higher ALT level (>40 U/L). Without considering age and gender, healthy group is defined after exclusion of participants with one of the mentioned contributing factors. The median ALT level in the healthy group was 18 in men and 13 in women. The ULN at the 95th percentile of the healthy group was 40 U/L in men and 28 U/L in women.Conclusion The ULN for ALT in healthy women was lower than in healthy men. Updated ULN for ALT level can promote the identification of unhealthy subjects. More studies that involve ethnicity and lifestyle factors are needed to confirm the new ULN in the Vietnamese population.
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spelling doaj-art-eb79676ea3da4c2e91eb99d72da245792025-08-20T02:39:52ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open Gastroenterology2054-47742022-10-019110.1136/bmjgast-2022-000870Updated upper limit of normal for serum alanine aminotransferase value in Vietnamese populationNguyen Tien Huy0Tieu Minh Thuan1Nguyen Thi Cam Huong2Sedighe Karimzadeh3Nguyen Thi Thanh4Ghada Mohamed Sabbah5Khaled Ismaeil6Dang Nguyen Trung An7Lai To Huong8Pham Thi Le Hoa9Institute of Research and Development, Duy Tan University, Da Nang, VietnamFaculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, CanadaDepartment of Infectious diseases, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, VietnamSchool of Medicine, Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences, Sabzevar, IranCentre for Development of Community Health Initiatives, Ha Noi, Viet NamZagazig University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig, EgyptAin Shams University Hospital, Cairo, EgyptImaging Diagnostic Department, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh city, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet NamHealth Screening Department, University Medical Center, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet NamDepartment of Infectious Disease, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh city, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet NamBackground Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is a marker of hepatic damage and its range can be affected by viral hepatitis, alcoholic hepatitis and non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases. We aimed to study the factors associated with higher ALT level and update the upper limit of normal (ULN) in the Vietnamese population.Methods This cross-sectional study enrolled 8383 adults, aged 18 years and older who visited the Medical Center at Ho Chi Minh City for a health check-up. Following the exclusion criteria, 6677 subjects were included in the analysis.Results Age ≤40 years, male gender, body mass index >23 kg/m2, diastolic blood pressure >85 mm Hg, cholesterol >5.2 mmol/L, triglyceride >1.7 mmol/L, positivity, anti-hepatitis C virus positivity and fatty liver (p<0.05) were associated with higher ALT level (>40 U/L). Without considering age and gender, healthy group is defined after exclusion of participants with one of the mentioned contributing factors. The median ALT level in the healthy group was 18 in men and 13 in women. The ULN at the 95th percentile of the healthy group was 40 U/L in men and 28 U/L in women.Conclusion The ULN for ALT in healthy women was lower than in healthy men. Updated ULN for ALT level can promote the identification of unhealthy subjects. More studies that involve ethnicity and lifestyle factors are needed to confirm the new ULN in the Vietnamese population.https://bmjopengastro.bmj.com/content/9/1/e000870.full
spellingShingle Nguyen Tien Huy
Tieu Minh Thuan
Nguyen Thi Cam Huong
Sedighe Karimzadeh
Nguyen Thi Thanh
Ghada Mohamed Sabbah
Khaled Ismaeil
Dang Nguyen Trung An
Lai To Huong
Pham Thi Le Hoa
Updated upper limit of normal for serum alanine aminotransferase value in Vietnamese population
BMJ Open Gastroenterology
title Updated upper limit of normal for serum alanine aminotransferase value in Vietnamese population
title_full Updated upper limit of normal for serum alanine aminotransferase value in Vietnamese population
title_fullStr Updated upper limit of normal for serum alanine aminotransferase value in Vietnamese population
title_full_unstemmed Updated upper limit of normal for serum alanine aminotransferase value in Vietnamese population
title_short Updated upper limit of normal for serum alanine aminotransferase value in Vietnamese population
title_sort updated upper limit of normal for serum alanine aminotransferase value in vietnamese population
url https://bmjopengastro.bmj.com/content/9/1/e000870.full
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