• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.113-117
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• 2010

Objectives : in recent years, there have been some case reports about liver injuries suspected to be caused by Heshouwu, the root of Polygonum multiflorum. So, I investigated liver function tests of patients who had taken Heshouwu, to know whether Heshouwu was hepatotoxic. Methods : I surveyed whether Heshouwu caused liver injury in patients, who had been admitted and taken Heshouwu at Dongguk University International Hospital, from May 2005 to July 2008. I looked over all the liver function tests of those patients, done during medication and 30 days after. Results : Among 1,449 inpatients, there were 124 patients who had taken Heshouwu. Among those 124 patients, 14 cases whose liver function tests were abnormal before medication were excluded. 69 cases who did not take liver function test 30 days after were also excluded. As a result, 41 patients were enrolled, and their mean dosage was 14.04(8-24) g/day, and the mean medication period was 13.8 (1-89) days. During and after medication, there were no abnormal liver function test results at all, in the enrolled cases. Conclusions : Roughly speaking, according to the above results, it seems that taking Heshouwu for about two weeks as per the commonly taken dosage did not cause hepatotoxicity, though we needs more laboratory and clinical research to reach a more definitive conclusion.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.225-232
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• 2013

Children with abnormal liver function can often be seen in outpatient clinics or inpatients wards. Most of them have respiratory disease, or gastroenteritis by virus infection, accompanying fever. Occasionally, hepatitis by the viruses causing systemic infection may occur, and screening tests are required. In patients with jaundice, the tests for differential diagnosis and appropriate treatment are important. In the case of a child with hepatitis B virus infection vertically from a hepatitis B surface antigen positive mother, the importance of the recognition of immune clearance can't be overstressed, for the decision of time to begin treatment. Early diagnosis changes the fate of a child with Wilson disease. So, screening test for the disease should not be omitted. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which is mainly discovered in obese children, is a new strong candidate triggering abnormal liver function. Muscular dystrophy is a representative disease mimicking liver dysfunction. Although muscular dystrophy is a progressive disorder, and early diagnosis can't change the fate of patients, it will be better to avoid parent's blame for delayed diagnosis.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.11 no.sup1
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• pp.23-29
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• 2008

The causes of liver disease in children and abnormal liver function test are more diverse than those in adult. Therefore, the first step to evaluate the liver disease is the understanding the liver disease and interpreting the appropriate liver function test in children. The characteristics of each test and various conditions which we encounter in outpatients settings will be discussed in this article, especially focused on elevation of aminotransferase level without identifiable causes.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.418-421
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the changes of liver function test before and after treatment in patients admitted to Korean medicine hospital. We checked liver function test level (aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, total bilirubin, direct bilirubin) of 147 patient who admitted in Korean medicine hospital from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2018. The subjects were selected those who took herbal medicine continuously during the admission period and who performed liver function test on admission and before discharge. And the subjects were excluded those who had a history of liver and biliary disease at the time of admission or who took hepatoprotectants. Aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase significantly decreased compared with the values of admission(p<0.05), but total bilirubin and direct bilirubin were not significantly changed(p>0.05). On admission 31 patients(21.1%) had abnormal liver function and 6 patients(4.1%) had liver injury while 19 patients(12.9%) had abnormal liver function and 6 patients(4.1%) showed liver injury before discharge. This study suggests that herbal medicine may not injure liver function.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.28 no.7
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• pp.629-635
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• 1995

Obese children have increaed in Korean in recent years as socieconomic status have got more higher than past years. Obese children have many health problems and some kinds of complications. Obese patients who have fatty liver with abnormal liver function should be managed with weight control. This study was intended to investigate the effect of weight control on hepatic abnormalities of obese children with fatty liver. We managed 6 obese children who had fatty liver with abnormal liver finction for weight control containing behavior modification, diet and exercise during 3 months. After 3 months, we compared body weight, liver function test, dietary intake and exercise. Body mass index(BMI) showed significant decrease from 28.1$\pm$2.3kg/$m^2$ to 26.2$\pm$1.7kg/$m^2$ (p<0.01). Aspartate aminotransferase(AST) showed significant improvement from 56$\pm$15IU/l(p<0.01). Alanine aminotransferase(ALT) also showed significant improvement from 108$\pm$38IU/l to 33$\pm$9IU/l(p<0.01). Therefore if we can rule out the other causes of hepatic abnormalities in obese children with fatty liver, these patients showed benefit by weight control as it can improve both obesity and liver functions.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.149-157
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• 2010

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the level of safety on liver functions when Korean herbal medicine was taken internally. Method: 101 inpatients who took Korean herbal medicine were enrolled and liver function test (aspartic aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, total bilirubin, gamma glutamyltranspeptidase, albumin, lactate dehydrogenase) was performed on admission and 1 month later. Results: In 101 patients, alkaline phosphatase and gamma glutamyltranspeptidase decreased significantly compared with the value taken on admission (p<0.05) but aspartic aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, total bilirubin, albumin, and lactate dehydrogenase were not significantly changed (p>0.05). In the patients who took Scutellaria baicalensis (n=34), alkaline phosphatase decreased and albumin increased significantly (p<0.05). Among the patients who took Atractylodes macrocephala (n=29), alkaline phosphatase decreased significantly (p<0.05). In the patients who took Glycyrrhiza uralensis or Paeonia lactiflora, liver function parameters were not significantly changed (p>0.05). On admission 11 patients had abnormal liver function and 2 patients had liver injury while 7 patients had abnormal liver function and 2 patients showed liver injury 1 month later. Conclusions: This study suggests that prescribed Korean herbal medicine does not injure liver function.

• Journal of Korea Association of Health Promotion
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.121-136
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• 2005

Background/Aims The liver funtion tests(LFTs), such as aspartate aminotransferase(AST), alanine amino-transferase(ALT), r -glutamyl transferase( r -GT), have been widely used for screening tests but their low positive predictive value can cause many false positive results. To evaluate the clinical usefulness of these tests, we analyzed serial LFT results of single factory workers and compared the risk factor's in groups divided by the serial LFT results. Methods From June 2001 to October 2001, 1223 consecutive healthy workers in a single factory were enrolled and questionnaire, LFT and liver ultrasonography were performed. Previous LFT results were collected from Annual Health Examination Survey. According to the abnormalities in serial LFT, participants were classified into three groups (abnormal-in-both, alternating normal-in-both) and the risk factors were compared among these groups using multiple logistic regression Results The prevalence of LFT abnormality in a single test was 16.8% but, in serial LFT, only 5% of participants showed consistent abnormality. The risk factors for abnormal-in-both group, compared with alternating group, were liver ultrasonography abnormality such as fatty liver(odds ratio, 2.2; p=0.026) and heavy alcohol intake (more than 210g/week) (odds ratio, 7.2;P=0.064). HBsAg was not significant risk factor for any of the three groups. ConclusionIn factory workers with serial LFT abnormality, alcoholic liver disease could be the principal cause of abnormal LFT. Even if HBsAg were positive in patients with abnormal LFT, there is a possibility of another causes for LFT abnormalities such as alcoholic liver disease and nonalcoholic steatosis or steatohepatitis

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.27 no.4 s.48
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• pp.747-761
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• 1994

Workers' periodic health examination is the main tools used to manage the health problems of most workers in Korea. The most common health problem found in workers' periodic health examination is liver disorder. Liver disorder is also one of the most common health problems in general population and one of the leading causes of mortality in adult population. Regulation proposed by government (No. 207, Ministry of Labor, 1992) defines the criteria for selection of workers with the liver dysfunction for further evaluative examination and the examination items used for diagnosis of the workers with liver dysfunction. This study was designed to evaluate the proficiency of each examination items presently defined in Regulation and propose the optimal examination items for detection of the liver disorders found by workers' periodic health examination. Study subjects are 186 workers with abnormal liver function tests in screening examination of workers' periodic health examination. Questionnaire survey including past history of liver disorder, drinking history, height and weight was done. Physical examination by physician, routine test items defined by Regulation (SGOT, SGPT, $\gamma$-GTP, protein, albumin, total and direct bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, $\alpha$-feto protein, HBsAg and anti-HBs), anti-HCV antibody test and liver ultrasonography were done. Results are as follows; 1. Result of evaluative examination utilizing only the items defined in Regulation was; There were 75 workers with suspected live. disorder(40.3%), 63 with no liver dysfunction (33.9%), 13 with suspected hepatitis B(7.0%), 10 workers with hepatitis B(5.4%), 10 workers with hepatitis B carrier state(5.4%), 10 with alcoholic liver disorders(5.4%), 5 with fatty liver(2.7%). When alternative diagnostic criteria applying additional examination items (drinking history, body mass index, anti-HCV antibody and ultrasonography) diagnosability of liver disorder was increased. When all four items were included, final results were; 23 workers (17.8%) with hepatitis B (10 carriers, 13 suspects and 10 hepatitis B), 10 (5.4%) with hepatitis C(4 carriers, 5 suspects and 1 hepatitis C), 13(7.0%) with alcoholic liver disorder, 45(24.2%) with fatty liver (40 suspects, 5 fatty liver), 410%) with suspected liver disorders and 44 (23.7%) with normal liver. 2. Of examination items defined by Regulation, only SGOT, SGPT, $\gamma$-GTP and HBsAg were significantly different in abnormal rate and mean value, and all other laboratory findings did not showed significant difference between two groups. Drinking history, body mass index and anti-HCV antibody test which are the items that authors included in this study, also showed significant difference between two groups. Utilization of body mass index (BMI) for abnormal liver function group in diagnosis of fatty liver had high specificity (97.6%) but sensitivity (22.3%) was low. Therefore we suggest that SGOT, SGPT, $\gamma$-GTP, HBsAg, alcohol drinking history, BMI and anti-HCV Ab were useful for diagnosis of liver disorders among worker's periodic health examination.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.16-27
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• 1980

Five hundred seventeen farmers(214 males and 303 females), over age 30 and living in Suh San County, Unsan township, were examined to determine the prevalence of peasants syndrome. Using the health interview questionnaire, the farmers were asked whether they had any of eight subjective symptoms during the past one month before the survey, October 1979. Those symptoms reported were scored based on a pre-determined point system. The farmers with high symptom scores(7 points or more) were further examined by the liver function test. In addition, all the sample(517 cases) were subjected to the examination of urinalysis and blood pressure. The liver function test is also undertaken for those farmers with high symptome scores(7 points or more) and those with abnormal findings in urinalysis and blood pressure. The results are summarized below: 1) 156 out of 517 farmers(30.2%) have had seven points or more of the symptom scores. Among the eight major symptoms, 72% of the farmers complained of lumbago. 2) The prevalence of peasant's syndrome were higher among females and the older age group. The symptom scores of this syndrome were slightly higher among women who have had many children (e. g. 4 or more). 3) The prevalence of peasant's syndrome was also related to the level of one's education-the lower education groups were found to have higher symptom scores of this syndrome. This may be due to the fact that the lower education groups are more exposed to manual labor. 4) The points of the peasants syndrome were higher in hypertensive farmers and those with abnormal findings of urinaly sis. 5) It was reported, in Japan, that those with high scores of the syndrome are more likely to have an abnormal findings in the liver function test. However, in this study it was observed that there was no significant difference between those with high scores of the syndrome (7 points or more) and those with low score of the syndrome(6 points or less) in the prevalence of abnormal liver function. As this study indicates that the point system given for the peasant's syndrome is closely related to the high bleod pressure and abnormal urinalysis(and to some extent to the abnormal liver function), there is a need to study peasant's syndrome more extensively. Such an effort will serve to detect varonic disease conditions among farmer's towards better management of farmer's health, which is vitally important for rural development in Korea.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.542-551
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• 2020

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to retrospectively assess the effectiveness of Chunggan plus extract (CGX) in improving liver function in a Korean medical clinic. Methods: We collected the data of inpatients who received CGX to improve abnormal liver function test (LFT) results from March 2016 to February 2020. We analyzed the changes in LFT and adverse events based on subjective symptom changes and creatinine results. Results: The data of eight patients, three male and five female, were selected by inclusion criteria (patients who did LFT before and after the prescription of CGX and who prescribed CGX more than 6 days) and exclusion criteria (patients who administered other herbal medicine for improving liver function except CGX and who are diagnosed with terminal stage of hepatobiliary cancer). As a cause of abnormal LFT, one case was diagnosed with alcoholic liver disease, two cases with non-alcoholic fatty hepatitis, and one case with cholecystitis. Three of the other four were suspected to have drug-induced hepatitis, and one case was determined to have an unknown cause. Most patients showed a decrease in LFT results (Aspartate transaminase 87.5%, Alanine transaminase 87.5%, and Alkaline Phosphatase 100%) without any critical adverse events. Conclusions: CGX may be an efficient and convenient herbal medicine for improving liver function regardless of the chief impression. Further study should be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of CGX.