Drawing Conclusions about Short-Term Variability in Liver Function Test Results
Authors: Agostino Colli, Daniele Prati
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2008)

Letters15 July 2008Drawing Conclusions about Short-Term Variability in Liver Function Test ResultsAgostino Colli, MD and Daniele Prati, MDAgostino Colli, MDFrom Ospedale Alessandro Manzoni, Lecco 23900, Italy.Search for more papers by this author and Daniele Prati, MDFrom Ospedale Alessandro Manzoni, Lecco 23900, Italy.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-149-2-200807150-00017 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:The recent article by Lazo and colleagues (1) shows that in the context of an epidemiologic survey, such as NHANES, abnormal liver test results in more than one third of participants (levels of aspartate aminotransferase, ALT, alkaline phosphatase, γ-glutamyltransferase, and bilirubin) would be reclassified as normal if retested 17 days apart. On the basis of their findings, Lazo and colleagues recommend that, to avoid unnecessary testing, individuals with abnormal liver test results on a first determination be routinely retested before undergoing further evaluation.In our opinion, caution should be used in drawing practice recommendations from epidemiologic studies. ...References1. Lazo M, Selvin E, Clark JM. Brief communication: clinical implications of short-term variability in liver function test results. Ann Intern Med. 2008;148:348-52. [PMID: 18316753] LinkGoogle Scholar2. American Gastroenterological Association. American Gastroenterological Association medical position statement: evaluation of liver chemistry tests. Gastroenterology. 2002;123:1364-6. [PMID: 12360497] MedlineGoogle Scholar3. Prati D, Taioli E, Zanella A, Della Torre E, Butelli S, Del Vecchio E, et al. Updated definitions of healthy ranges for serum alanine aminotransferase levels. Ann Intern Med. 2002;137:1-10. [PMID: 12093239] LinkGoogle Scholar4. Kim HC, Nam CM, Jee SH, Han KH, Oh DK, Suh I. Normal serum aminotransferase concentration and risk of mortality from liver diseases: prospective cohort study. BMJ. 2004;328:983. [PMID: 15028636] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Lee TH, Kim WR, Benson JT, Therneau TM, Melton LJ. Serum aminotransferase activity and mortality risk in a United States community. Hepatology. 2008;47:880-7. [PMID: 18302294] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Agostino Colli, MD; Daniele Prati, MDAffiliations: From Ospedale Alessandro Manzoni, Lecco 23900, Italy.Disclosures: None disclosed. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoUpdated Definitions of Healthy Ranges for Serum Alanine Aminotransferase Levels Daniele Prati , Emanuela Taioli , Alberto Zanella , Emanuela Della Torre , Sonia Butelli , Emanuela Del Vecchio , Luciana Vianello , Francesco Zanuso , Fulvio Mozzi , Silvano Milani , Dario Conte , Massimo Colombo , and Girolamo Sirchia Brief Communication: Clinical Implications of Short-Term Variability in Liver Function Test Results Mariana Lazo , Elizabeth Selvin , and Jeanne M. Clark Drawing Conclusions about Short-Term Variability in Liver Function Test Results Mariana Lazo , Elizabeth Selvin , and Jeanne M. Clark Drawing Conclusions about Short-Term Variability in Liver Function Test Results Gaurav Arora and George Triadafilopoulos Drawing Conclusions about Short-Term Variability in Liver Function Test Results Weekitt Kittisupamongkol Drawing Conclusions about Short-Term Variability in Liver Function Test Results Liu Hong , Kaichun Wu , and Daiming Fan Metrics 15 July 2008Volume 149, Issue 2Page: 145KeywordsAminotransferasesConflicts of interestEpidemiologyForecastingHematologic testsLiverLiver function testsMortalityPhosphatasesSerum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase ePublished: 15 July 2008 Issue Published: 15 July 2008 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2008 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...