Comparison Between Serum α-Glutathione S-Transferase and Aminotransaminases in Detecting Cytolysis in Hepatitis C-Infected Children

Background: α-Glutathione S-transferase (αGST) has been proposed as a more sensitive indicator than serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in detecting hepatocellular damage due to chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Methods: The accuracy of α-GST was compared with that of ALT and AST in detecting cytolysis in 103 blood samples issued from 31 children positive for HCV RNA. Results: α-GST had a lower sensitivity than ALT or AST (32% vs. 54.4% for each aminotransferase). The sensitivity of ALT and/or AST was 60.2%, whereas that of ALT and/or α-GST and AST and/or α-GST was lower (58.3% and 57.3%, respectively). Among 41 serum samples with negative ALT and AST, only 2 had positive α-GST, whereas α-GST failed to detect cytolysis in 31 samples with elevated ALT and/or AST. No correlation was found between α-GST, ALT, or AST and the Knodell score. Conclusions: The combination of ALT with AST is actually the best compromise in detecting cytolysis in untreated HCV-infected patients.