Serum gamma glutamyl transferase and alanine transaminase concentrations predict endothelial dysfunction in patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis

  • Huseyin Arinc
  • Bahadir Sarli
  • Ahmet Oguz Baktir
  • Hayrettin Saglam
  • Erkan Demirci
  • Yasemin Dogan
  • Serkan Kurtul
  • Hatice Karaman
  • Abdulsamet Erden
  • Ahmet Karaman

Abstract

Purpose. Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). We aimed to investigate the presence of endothelial dysfunction and whether serum concentrations of liver enzymes may reflect the severity of such an endothelial dysfunction in patients with NASH.

Methods. Fifty patients with NASH diagnosed by liver biopsies and 30 healthy controls were included. Blood samples after fasting were harvested for measurements of glucose, insulin, cholesterol, triglyceride, and liver enzymes. All patients underwent transthoracic echocardiography and brachial and carotid artery Doppler ultrasonography to evaluate flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) and carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT).

Results. Patients with NASH had impaired FMD (4.9 ± 2.8% to 9.3 ± 4.4%, P < 0.001) and higher CIMT (0.79 ± 0.16 mm to 0.64 ± 0.11 mm, P < 0.001) when compared with healthy controls. Linear regression analyses revealed that serum concentrations of gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) and alanine transaminase (ALT) were associated withFMDand CIMT.

Conclusions. Patients with NASH have impaired FMD and increased CIMT when compared with healthy controls. In patients with NASH, serum concentrations of GGT and ALT might have a predictive value for FMD and CIMT.

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Published
2013-07-08
How to Cite
Arinc H., Sarli B., Oguz Baktir A., Saglam H., Demirci E., Dogan Y., Kurtul S., Karaman H., Erden A., & Karaman A. (2013). Serum gamma glutamyl transferase and alanine transaminase concentrations predict endothelial dysfunction in patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Upsala Journal of Medical Sciences, 118(4). https://doi.org/10.3109/03009734.2013.814734
Section
Original Articles