Effect of weight changes on serum transaminase activities in obese children

To examine the effect of weight changes on serum transaminase activities, glutamic oxaloacetic and pyruvic transaminases (GOT/GPT), a 3-month observation of 110 obese outpatients treated by a mild regimen for obesity was carried out. Patients were divided into two major groups, group I (n = 73) and group II (n = 37), with or without persistent elevation of serum GOT/GPT (> 30 IU/L), and retrospectively classified into four subgroups according to weight changes: group A, weight loss > 5%; group B, weight loss of < 5%; group C, an increase of < 5%; group D, an increase > 5%. In group IA, the incidence of cases with normalization of serum GOT/GPT was 70% and was significantly greater than those of the other three subgroups, respectively (P < 0.01). The incidences of decreased serum GOT/GPT activities were observed corresponding to the degree of weight changes not only in group I (100-27%) but also in group II (100-33%). These facts indicate that a mild regimen for obese outpatients for 3 months, significantly improves serum transaminase activities in patients not only with weight reduction but also weight gain, and that fatty liver may be present even in obese children with normal serum transaminase levels. The normalization of serum GPT activity in patients with weight gain suggests the presence of another factor contributing hypertransaminasemia in pediatric obese patients.