Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34619146›Full record

ArticleThe American journal of the medical sciences2022

Normal or near normal aminotransferase levels in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis.

Mary Kate Sullivan, Halim Bou Daher, Don C Rockey

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The American journal of the medical sciences, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.9field-weighted citation impact, top 25% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Mary Kate SullivanDivision of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
Halim Bou DaherDivision of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
Don C RockeyDivision of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA; Digestive Disease Research Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA. Electronic address: rockey@musc.edu.
Medical University of South Carolina · US

Funding

The role of SMAD1 and SATB2 in colon patterningP20GM130457 · NIGMS · MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA · PI Hailong Zhang · 2020 to 2026
$18.7M
Proteomics CoreP30DK123704 · NIDDK · MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA · PI DON C. ROCKEY · 2020 to 2026
$8.8M
NIDDK NIH HHS P30 DK123704
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAlcoholic liver disease is caused by excessive alcohol consumption that results in an inflammatory response and fibrosis. We have recognized that patients with alcoholic cirrhosis often have unremarkable liver enzyme values.

methodsIn this retrospective cohort analysis, we identified consecutive patients with documented alcoholic cirrhosis at an academic medical center who were admitted between January 1 2016 and December 1 2018. We examined clinical outcomes of patients as a function of whether the aspartate transaminase (AST) or alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was normal or abnormal. Likelihood chi-square analyses were utilized for group comparisons and t-tests were used for numerical data.

resultsIn the cohort of 78 patients with alcoholic cirrhosis (age 55, 26-75; 58% male) 70 had a normal ALT and 12 had a normal AST. The average AST for all patients was 59 ± 34 U/L (ULN = 35 U/L), and the average ALT was 27 ± 13 U/L (ULN = 45 U/L). The average INR was 1.5 ± 0.5 and total bilirubin was 3.7 ± 4.9 mg/dL, and 20 patients had a normal bilirubin level, including only one with an abnormal ALT level. The average model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score was 19 ± 8 and 32% of patients died during the follow-up time period of 5 months. Decompensating events were identified in 78 (100%) patients. There was no correlation between complications or death and aminotransferase levels.

conclusionsAminotransferase levels are often unremarkable in patients with alcohol related cirrhosis and bear no relationship to clinical events or outcomes. Clinicians should be cautious when interpreting aminotransferases in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis.

Indexed as

End Stage Liver DiseaseLiver Cirrhosis, AlcoholicAlanine TransaminaseAspartate AminotransferasesBilirubinFemaleHumansLiver CirrhosisMaleRetrospective StudiesSeverity of Illness IndexAlanine TransaminaseAspartate AminotransferasesBilirubinALTASTEthanolFibrosisMELD scoreMortality

Identifiers

PMID34619146
PMCPMC10860165
OpenAlexW3202324778

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.