Relationship Between Obesity and Liver Enzymes Levels in Turner's Syndrome

Background: Liver enzyme abnormalities have been reported in Turner's syndrome (TS). There are some studies about possible causes of abnormal levels of liver enzymes. One of the main suggestions is obesity. The study aimed to determine the relationship between obesity and liver enzymes levels in patients with TS.

Methods: Forty-one karyotype-proven TS patients referred to Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center were included in this cross-sectional study. Height and weight of patients were measured and their body mass index (BMI) was calculated. The patients were divided into two groups as the control group including 27 cases (65.8%) with normal BMI (defined as < 85th percentile for age and gender), and the overweight group including 14 cases (34.2%) (defined as BMI > 85th percentile for age and gender). Serum levels of aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (AlkPh) were measured.

Results: There were no statistically significant differences regarding AST (27 ± 2.7 vs. 29.6 ± 5.85 U/L; P = 0.3), ALT (20.1 ± 2.45 vs. 22.2 ± 5.85 U/L; P = 0.5), and AlkPh (583.4 ± 2.45 vs. 472.8 ± 161.5 U/L; P = 0.28) between overweight TS patients and those with normal BMI.

Conclusion: There was no significant difference in liver enzyme levels between TS patients with normal BMI and those who were overweight.