Clinical significance of elevated alanine aminotransferase in blood donors: a follow-up study.

UNLABELLED: Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) elevation in blood donors can be related to many variables such as viral hepatitis, overweight and ethanol consumption. BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study aims to define factors associated with ALT elevation in candidates for blood donation, to evaluate ALT levels during follow-up, and to establish a histological diagnosis of hepatic disease. METHODS: Alcoholism, obesity, drug-induced liver disease, diabetes, hemochromatosis and alpha 1-anti-trypsin deficiency were investigated in 119 subjects (113 males, six females, aged 33.4+/-8.4 years) who were hepatitis B surface antigen/anti-hepatitis C virus negative and had been rejected as blood donors as a result of elevated ALT (>1.5 times the upper normal limit (UNL) in two determinations). During follow-up, ALT was determined every 8 weeks and liver biopsy recommended in cases with persistently elevated ALT levels. RESULTS: Obesity (30.2%) and alcoholism (28.6%) were most frequently associated with ALT elevation and in 9.2% of cases no association was found. ALT levels decreased significantly, regardless of the associated factor. Liver histology in 40 patients showed steatosis (35%), steatohepatitis (30%), non-specific reactive hepatitis (12.5% of cases), normal liver (15% of cases) and alcoholic cirrhosis, hemochromatosis and non-specific portal fibrosis in three cases. CONCLUSION: ALT levels usually dropped during follow-up and although severe hepatic lesions can be found in asymptomatic blood donors, mild hepatic damage is the rule.

Liver histology in co-infection of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis G virus (HGV).

As little is known about liver histology in the co-infection of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis G virus (HGV), HGV RNA was investigated in 46 blood donors with hepatitis C, 22 of them with liver biopsy: co-infection HCV / HGV (n = 6) and HCV isolated infection (n = 16). Besides staging and grading of inflammation at portal, peri-portal and lobular areas (Brazilian Consensus), the fibrosis progression index was also calculated. All patients had no symptoms or signs of liver disease and prevalence of HGV / HCV co-infection was 15.2%. Most patients had mild liver disease and fibrosis progression index, calculated only in patients with known duration of infection, was 0.110 for co-infection and 0.130 for isolated HCV infection, characterizing these patients as "slow fibrosers". No statistical differences could be found between the groups, although a lesser degree of inflammation was always present in co-infection. In conclusion co-infection HCV / HGV does not induce a more aggressive liver disease, supporting the hypothesis that HGV is not pathogenic.

Liver histology in co-infection of hepatitis C Virus (HCV) and hepatitis G virus (HGV)

As little is known about liver histology in the co-infection of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis G virus (HGV), HGV RNA was investigated in 46 blood donors with hepatitis C, 22 of them with liver biopsy: co-infection HCV / HGV (n = 6) and HCV isolated infection (n = 16). Besides staging and grading of inflammation at portal, peri-portal and lobular areas (Brazilian Consensus), the fibrosis progression index was also calculated. All patients had no symptoms or signs of liver disease and prevalence of HGV / HCV co-infection was 15.2 percent. Most patients had mild liver disease and fibrosis progression index, calculated only in patients with known duration of infection, was 0.110 for co-infection and 0.130 for isolated HCV infection, characterizing these patients as "slow fibrosers". No statistical differences could be found between the groups, although a lesser degree of inflammation was always present in co-infection. In conclusion co-infection HCV / HGV does not induce a more aggressive liver disease, supporting the hypothesis that HGV is not pathogenic