What Do Abnormal Liver Enzymes Mean in a Tween William Balistreri

Below I’ve included a few slides and some notes; my notes may have errors of omission or transcription.

Key Points:

• Provided updated normal reference data for ALT/AST along with patterns of abnormalities
• Reviewed step-wise workup for teenagers with elevated ALT/AST, particularly fatty liver disease and drug-induced liver disease
• Increasingly frequent cause of fatty liver disease: psychotropic medications
• Discussed role/indications of liver biopsy. Liver biopsy is NOT practical option for all children with fatty liver disease and elevated liver enzymes
• However, ALT values tend to underestimate severity of liver disease