Liver function test in diabetic patients in Punjabi population

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is a common endocrine metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia. The liver plays a major role in the regulation of carbohydrate metabolism, as it uses glucose as a fuel. This key function of liver makes it vulnerable to diseases in subjects with metabolic disorders, particularly diabetes. The present study aims to study the prevalence of liver enzymes Aspartate Transaminase (AST) and Alanine Transaminase (ALT) in Diabetic subjects from Punjabi population. In order to meet the proposed objectives of this study, whole blood samples were collected from 100 diabetic and 100 non diabetic subjects. Each sample was analysed for Fasting plasma glucose (FPG), HbA1C, AST and ALT. When categorized on the basis of type of disease 20% were of type 1 diabetes mellitus and 80% were of type 2 diabetes mellitus. In our study liver enzymes i.e. AST (p=0.0007) and ALT (p=0.0005) are significantly higher in diabetes compared to non diabetes subjects. Type 1 diabetic subjects did not shows any significant difference in the level of AST (p=.468) and ALT (p=0.978) compared to non-diabetic subjects, where as type 2 diabetic subjects shows significant higher level of AST (p=<.0001) and ALT (p=<.0001) compared to non-diabetic subjects. Failure to recognize the presence of abnormal liver enzymes may be a primary cause of poor management often encountered in some of the treated diabetics. There is therefore need for the routine assay of liver profile in diabetic, particularly in type 2 patients whose conditions are difficult to manage.