Normal serum alanine aminotransferase activity in ...

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Antonio Moschetta, Clinica Medica “Augusto Murri”, Department of Internal and Public Medicine, University of Bari, Italy. Correspondence to:Gianluca Iacobellis, ...
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World J Gastroenterol 2005;11(38):6018-6021 World Journal of Gastroenterology ISSN 1007-9327 © 2005 The WJG Press and Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Normal serum alanine aminotransferase activity in uncomplicated obesity Gianluca Iacobellis, Antonio Moschetta, Maria Cristina Ribaudo, Alessandra Zappaterreno, Concetta Valeria Iannucci, Frida Leonetti Gianluca Iacobellis, Maria Cristina Ribaudo, Alessandra Zappaterreno, Concetta Valeria Iannucci, Frida Leonetti, Endocrinology, Department of Clinical Sciences, La Sapienza University, Rome, Italy Gianluca Iacobellis, Center for Human Nutrition, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA Antonio Moschetta, Clinica Medica “Augusto Murri”, Department of Internal and Public Medicine, University of Bari, Italy Correspondence to:Gianluca Iacobellis, MD PhD, Dipartimento Scienze Cliniche, Università La Sapienza, Policlinico Umberto I, viale del Policlinico 155, 00161, Roma, Italy. [email protected] Telephone: +39-6-44240932 Fax: +39-6-44240932 Received: 2005-01-12 Accepted: 2005-03-23

Abstract AIM: To evaluate serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity in a well-characterized group of uncomplicated obese subjects and its correlation with insulin resistance, plasma adiponectin, and leptin concentrations. METHODS: One hundred and five uncomplicated obese subjects (87 women, 18 men, age 34.3±9.6 years, BMI 39.9±8.3 kg/m2) were studied. Serum ALT activity was evaluated. Insulin sensitivity was assessed by euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp (M index) and fasting insulin. Plasma leptin and adiponectin levels were also measured. RESULTS: Serum ALT concentration in the whole group of uncomplicated obese subjects was 17.73±6.33 U/L with none of the subjects presenting ALT levels greater than 43 U/L and only 9 (11%) women and 3 (19%) men showed ALT levels >19 and >30 U/L for women and men, respectively. No significant difference was detected in serum ALT levels between severe obese subjects (BMI >40 kg/m2) and those with BMI 30 kg/m2) from 600 obese subjects who were referred to our Day Hospital from Rome and surrounding areas between January 2001 and June 2004. The selected subjects had the following features: 87 women, 18 men; age, 34.3±9.6 years (range, 20-55 years); BMI, 39.9±8.3 kg/m2 (range, 30-80.1 kg/m2); duration of obesity, 15±5 years (range, 10-30 years). Uncomplicated obesity was defined according to the following parameters: no signs, symptoms and history of liver diseases (alcoholic hepatitis, viral hepatitis, positive serum hepatitis B surface antigen, positive serum hepatitis C surface antibody, auto-immune hepatitis, drug-induced hepatitis, familial metabolic disorders, history of fatty liver during pregnancy, portal hypertension, liver cancer, elevated serum transferrin

Iacobellis G et al. Alanine aminotransferase activity in uncomplicated obesity

saturation, >2 drinks of alcohol per day), no other clinically significant abnormalities on physical examination, no lipid-lowering, hypoglycemic or antihypertensive drugs, no history of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, normal ECG, normal fasting glucose (