Serum Alanine Aminotransferase and Seronegative Hepatitis

Excerpt

To the editor: Previous studies (1, 2) have established a direct relation between elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels in donor blood and the risk for post-transfusion hepatitis. In an independent study (3), we determined the extent to which continuing transaminase elevation is a manifestation of chronic persistent hepatitis (non-A, non-B chronic persistent hepatitis) or of insignificant steatosis.

Of 103 patients with persistent or intermittent asymptomatic transaminase elevation, no patient had acute or chronic infectious hepatitis, autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cirrhosis, or thesaurismosis, or was receiving hepatotoxic drugs. Seronegative chronic hepatitis (group 1) was differentiated from steatosis (group 2) by biopsy means. The histologic findings in group 1 were mild portal infiltration rich in lymphocytes and plasma cells, and lymph follicles with germinal centers and bile duct lesions.

Group 1 comprised 46 patients with different modes of infection (posttransfusion h