J Korean Acad Fam Med.  2001 Aug;22(8):1247-1254.

The relationship between alcohol consumption and serum liver enzymes in men

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Family Medicine, Seoul Hospital, College of Medicine, Kon Kuk University.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: It is well known that heavy alcohol consumption may result in various lesions on multiple organs and tissue, especially liver. The aim of this study was to measure prevalence of raised liver derived enzymes in healthy men and possible association with alcohol consumption, smoking and body mass index.
METHODS
All subjects were 450 men who received Adult Health Examination at Seoul Hospital of Konkuk medical center from May, 1998 to October, 1998. We carried out telephone survey and analyzed 360 men, excluding men with HBs Ag(+), hepatic problems within 6 months, medication drug that could change serum activity of hepatic enzyme or joints, myscles, cardiac problem and non responder to telephone survey. We examined prevalence of raised liver enzymes and its possible association with alcohol consumption, smoking, and body mass index, applying logistic regression analysis.
RESULTS
In 20.3% of study subjects, we found raised levels of lver derived enzymes. If the alcohol consumption was higher than 270 g/week, the odds ratio(OR) for raised liver enzymes, adjusted for body mass index and smoking, increased ; serum gamma glutamyltransferase(gamma GTP)(OR: 9.48), serum aspartate aminotransferase(AST)(OR: 13.09), and serum alanine aminotransferase(ALT)(OR: 7.40). Smoking was not associated with the risk of raised liver enzymes and obesity(body mass index 25 kg/m2) showed a positive association with two enzymes; gamma GTP(OR: 1.92) and ALT(OR: 2.08).
CONCLUSION
If alcohol consumption was higher than 270 g/week, the risk of raised liver enzymes increased dramatically and gamma GTP, AST were shown more sensitive than ALT in alcoholic liver disease.

Keyword

alcohol consumption; serum liver enzymes; body mass index; smoking

MeSH Terms

Adult
Alanine
Alcohol Drinking*
Aspartic Acid
Body Mass Index
Guanosine Triphosphate
Humans
Joints
Liver Diseases, Alcoholic
Liver*
Logistic Models
Male
Prevalence
Seoul
Smoke
Smoking
Telephone
Alanine
Aspartic Acid
Guanosine Triphosphate
Smoke
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