Linked Life Data

9918940

Source:http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/id/9918940

Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
2
pubmed:dateCreated
1999-2-16
pubmed:abstractText
Serum alanine transaminase (ALT) levels are used to select hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients for treatment and liver biopsy. However, the natural history of these measurements is poorly understood. To examine the hypothesis that ALT levels vary over time in HCV-infected patients, serial serum ALT levels were prospectively measured in a cohort of 1,235 persons with a history of prior illicit drug use. Over 25 months of follow-up, there was a median of four evaluations per patient. ALT values were higher in 1,164 (94%) HCV-infected individuals than in 71 (6%) HCV-uninfected individuals. The remainder of the analysis focused on these HCV-infected individuals, 647 (62%) of whom had normal ALT values at their initial visit. However, 323 (49%) of these had at least one elevated ALT over the next 25 months. Of the 395 patients whose ALT was initially abnormal, 332 (84%) had at least one normal value over the next 25 months. Overall, among individuals with four or more visits, ALT values were persistently normal in 42%, persistently elevated in 15%, and intermittently elevated in 43%. Because serum ALT levels have high visit-to-visit variability, single assessments should not be used to manage HCV-infected individuals. Further investigation is needed to ascertain the correlation of serial ALT trends with important disease outcomes.
pubmed:grant
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Feb
pubmed:issn
0270-9139
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
29
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
590-6
pubmed:dateRevised
2007-11-14
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1999
pubmed:articleTitle
A prospective, community-based evaluation of liver enzymes in individuals with hepatitis C after drug use.
pubmed:affiliation
Divisions of Infectious Diseases, Baltimore, MD, USA.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.