Non-alcoholic fatty live disease is a condition defined by excessive fat accumulation in the form of triglycerides in the liver (> 5% of hepatocytes). There is a need for noninvasive biomarkers to detect progression of liver damage in NAFLD. . As of today, limited studies exist on usage of liver enzymes as non-invasive biomarkers in NAFLD.

Material & Method: This original research study included total of forty-one (41) cases and forty (40) controls were selected for the study. Patients with Ultrasound diagnosed fatty liver disease with no history of alcohol consumption referred to phlebotomy for liver function test.AST, ALT and GGT estimated by Modified IFCC with P5P method. Data analysis was done by applying R software

Result: The mean value of serum AST, ALT and GGT were elevated in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease compared to controls. Serum AST/ALT ratio decreased and GGT values were increased in cases compared to controls. Independent student T test was used to analyze the data set for serum AST/ALT ratio and GGT amongst cases and the p value obtained was statistically significant.

Conclusion: As increased level of liver enzymes could indicate severity of steatohepatitis and fibrosis. There is poor correlation between AST/ALT ration and GGT in NAFLD. So along with liver enzymes other noninvasive biomarkers (TNF α, IL 6, IL 8) are useful to know the extent of liver injury in NAFLD patients.

Keywords:  NAFLD, AST, ALT, GGT, steatosis, NASH (Non alcoholic steatohepatitis).

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Dr Swetha B

John Nagar, Bangalore, India

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