Determination of the upper cut-off values of serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase in Chinese

AIM:To determine the upper cut-off values of serumalanine aminotransferase(ALT)and aspartate aminotransferase(AST)in a Northern Chinese population.METHODS:A total of 3769 subjects in Jilin Province Northeast China were stratified to determine the potential factors affecting serum ALT and AST levels.The upper cut-off values of serum ALT and AST in these subjects were determined using receiver operating characteristic analysis and their sensitivity and specificity were evaluated.RESULTS:Stratification analysis revealed that serum ALT and AST levels were associated with gender,alcohol consumption,serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels,and body mass index.The upper cut-off values of serum ALT and AST were 22.15 U/L and 25.35 U/L for healthy men and 22.40 U/L and 24.25 U/L for healthy women,respectively.The new cut-off values had a higher sensitivity,but a slightly lower specificity than the current standards.CONCLUSION:Our results indicate that the new upper cut-off values of serum ALT and AST are markedly lower than current standards and may be valuable for the evaluation of liver function.