Pediatr Gastroenterol Hepatol Nutr.  2016 Dec;19(4):243-250. 10.5223/pghn.2016.19.4.243.

The Relationships between Respiratory Virus Infection and Aminotransferase in Children

• Oh JS
• Choi JS
• Lee YH
• Ko KO
• Lim JW
• Cheon EJ
• Lee GM
• Yoon JM

• KMID: 2364765
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5223/pghn.2016.19.4.243

Abstract

PURPOSE
We sought to examine the relationship between the clinical manifestations of nonspecific reactive hepatitis and respiratory virus infection in pediatric patients.
METHODS
Patients admitted to the pediatric unit of Konyang University Hospital for lower respiratory tract disease between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2014 and who underwent reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction tests were examined. The patients were divided into those with increased levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) or aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and those with normal ALT or AST levels. Further, patients with increased ALT and AST levels were individually compared with patients in the normal group, and the blood test results were compared according to the type of respiratory virus.
RESULTS
Patients with increased ALT or AST levels had one more day of hospital stay, on average, compared with patients in the normal group (5.3±3.1 days vs. 4.4±3.0 days, p=0.019). Patients in the increased ALT level group were younger and had a longer mean hospital stay, compared with patients in the normal group (p=0.022 and 0.003, respectively). The incidences of increased ALT or AST were the highest in adenovirus infections (6/24, 25.0%), followed by enterovirus (2/11, 18.2%) and respiratory syncytial virus A (21/131, 16.0%) infections.
CONCLUSION
Nonspecific reactive hepatitis is more common among patients with adenovirus, enterovirus and respiratory syncytial virus infection, as well as among those infected at a younger age. Compared with AST levels, ALT levels are better indicators of the severity of nonspecific reactive hepatitis.

Keyword

Respiratory tract infections; Viruses; Transaminases; Hepatitis

MeSH Terms

Adenoviridae
Adenoviridae Infections
Alanine Transaminase
Aspartate Aminotransferases
Child*
Enterovirus
Hematologic Tests
Hepatitis
Humans
Incidence
Length of Stay
Respiratory Syncytial Viruses
Respiratory Tract Diseases
Respiratory Tract Infections
Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
Transaminases
Alanine Transaminase
Aspartate Aminotransferases
Transaminases

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Flow chart showing the process of study selection. RT-PCR: real-time polymerase chain reaction, BMI: body mass index, ALT: alanine aminotransferase, AST: aspartate aminotransferase. References of ALT (IU/L), under 1 month male: <40, under 1 month female: <32, over 1 month: <45. References of AST (IU/L), under 1 month: <71, 1-12 months: <63, 1-3 years: <60, 3-9 years: <50, Over 9 years: <40.

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