All issues > Volume 51(4); 2008

Original Article

Korean J Pediatr. 2008;51(4):396-400. Published online April 15, 2008.

A rise and fall in AST and ALT level in nonspecific reactive hepatitis

Tai Sung TS Kim¹, Tae Hyung TH Hur¹, Sun Jeong SJ Lim¹, Joong Hyun JH Bin¹, Seung Hoon SH Hahn¹, So Young SY Kim¹, Hyun Hee HH Kim¹, Wonbae WB Lee¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Pucheon, Korea

Correspondence Joong Hyun JH Bin ,Email: binjh@catholic.ac.kr

Abstract

Purpose
: The study was performed to assess the distribution of the diseases associated with nonspecific reactive hepatitis (NRH) for the past 10 years and to evaluate the change in the level of AST and ALT, and the difference by several variable factors.
Methods
: From January 1997 to December 2006, 646 patients had elevated liver enzymes among 22,763 patients admitted to the Holy Family Hospital. We analyzed the difference in the age distribution, the period of elevated levels of AST and ALT, the resolution period, the peak value, the daily resolution value of AST and ALT, the sexual differences and the difference in several disease entities. One hundred and ninety-seven patients not confirmed as NRH or lost during follow-up were excluded.
Results
: The prevalence rate of NRH was 2.84%. When compared to AST, ALT showed longer period of morbidity and resolution and the peak value was also higher in ALT. The male and female ratio showed significant value of 1.63:1. The morbid and resolution periods of AST and ALT between males and females were longer periods in males. The most prevalent disease entities were respiratory and gastrointestinal infections. Between the respiratory and the gastrointestinal diseases, the highest level of AST and ALT was observed in the respiratory disease.
Conclusion
: NRH is a common disease that occurs in 2.84% of the admitted pediatric patients. However, the pathogenesis and the progress of the disease have not been well known due to the lack of generalized information. Further research is necessary in the future.

Keywords :Hepatitis, Alanine aminotransferase, Aspartate aminotransferase