Copyright
©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jul 21, 2024; 30(27): 3264-3267
Published online Jul 21, 2024. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v30.i27.3264
Published online Jul 21, 2024. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v30.i27.3264
Effects of excess high-normal alanine aminotransferase levels in relation to new-onset metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease: Clinical implications
Giovanna McGinty, Department of Gastroenterology, North Bristol Trust, Southmead Hospital, Bristol BS10 5NB, United Kingdom
Robert Przemioslo, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, North Bristol Trust, Southmead Hospital, Bristol BS10 5NB, United Kingdom
Author contributions: McGinty G and Przemioslo R contributed, designed the overall concept and contributed to writing, editing and review of the literature.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Giovanna McGinty, MBChB, MSc, Doctor, Department of Gastro enterology, North Bristol Trust, Southmead Hospital, Southmead Road, Bristol BS10 5NB, United Kingdom. giovanna.sheiybani@nhs.net
Received: March 11, 2024
Revised: May 29, 2024
Accepted: June 21, 2024
Published online: July 21, 2024
Processing time: 121 Days and 14.4 Hours
Revised: May 29, 2024
Accepted: June 21, 2024
Published online: July 21, 2024
Processing time: 121 Days and 14.4 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is a surrogate marker for metabolic-dysfunction associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) but is not specific for histological inflammation. The rationale to reduce the upper limit of normal for ALT to help identify more cases of MAFLD remains controversial. It is more important to identify patients who may display elements of the metabolic syndrome and support modifying these to maintain a lower level of ALT. This will become increasingly important as more targets for therapy are identified that may justify treating these patients early to prevent progression to fibrosis.