• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.470-477
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• 2015

Objectives: Given current vaccinations against the hepatitis B virus and changes in dietary lifestyles, the status of liver disorders, especially in the younger population, is different than it was in the past. This study aimed to discover the prevalence of the HBsAg positive and abnormal hepatic enzyme among college students.Methods: The study analyzed the medical examinations of 2,646 college students that were performed at Semyung University from March to September 2013.Results: A total of 11 out of 2,646 students (0.4%) showed as positive for the hepatitis B antigen, while 23.8% of students had the serum HBs antibody. A total of 212 students (8.0%) showed abnormally elevated serum levels of ALT, with significant differences between men and women. The prevalence of the abnormal serum ALT and its average value significantly increased according to an increase of BMI score, especially in male students.Conclusions: This study showed the importance of obesity as a causative factor in liver disorders, especially in the young generation. This finding will be useful for the development of therapeutics using Korean medicine in the future.