Abstract
The time course of serum transaminases (alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase) has been followed in 30 selected consecutive patients presenting burn sizes ranging from 10% to 95% of the total body surface (mean 43.13) and a survival index from 0.99 to 0.00 (mean 0.59). The results show that in all the patients both transaminases change in parallel, increasing in 18 patients (60%). In nearly all patients both enzymes increase during the second week after injury and aspartate aminotransferase increases later than alanine aminotransferase. The higher transaminase levels are noted in moderately ill patients. No clear correlation between the overall increase of transaminases and the extent of burned surface area has been found. We conclude that functional liver alterations mostly contribute to the increase of serum transaminases in burns.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abell RG, Page IH (1943) A study of the smaller blood vessels in burned dogs and cats. Surg Gynecol Obstet 77:348
Allegra F (1960) Le transaminasi del siero nel corso della malattia da ustione. G Ital Dermatol Venereol, 101:126
Angela G, Ambroggio G, Brean L, Cattone A, Cavallero M (1975) Il quadro enzimologico sierico nei grandi ustionati Minerva Med 66:20
Aoyama H, Suzuky K, Izawa Y (1982) Mitochondria-toxic activity in burned human skin relation to severity of burn and period after burn. Burns 9:13
Arturson G (1961) Serum glutamic oxalacetic transaminase activity in experimental burns. Acta Chir Scand 120:303
Arturson G (1962) Ornithine carbamoyl transferase (OCT) activity in clinical burns. Acta Chir Seand 124:474
7.Arturson G, Wallenius G (1963) The hepatocellular origin of circulating enzymes in experimental burns. Acta Chir Scand 126:34
Ashur H, Ben-Hur N, Kuperman O (1979) Liver disfunction and immunological disturbances in the thermal burn injury. Burns 6:160
Bocanegra M, Hinostroza F, Kefalides NA (1963) Serum transaminase changes in severe burns. Ann Surg 157:438
Catalano D, Brisolese A, Murolo D, Piangiamore A, Trovato GM, Mazzone D (1980) Valutazione degli aspetti morfo-funzionali dek fegato nel paziente ustionato (studio epato-bioptico). Prog Med (Roma) 36:592
Chiarelli A, Mazzoleni F, Realdi G, Caliari L (1983) Variazioni delle transaminasi sieriche nel paziente ustionato. Riv Ital Chir Plast 15:27
Chlumsky J, Vrabec R, Hyncik V, Mareck, B, Chlumska, A (1973) Clinical manifestation of the impairment of the liver in the course of the burn disease. Acta Chir Plast 15:238
Chlumsky J, Dobias J, Vrabec R, Marecek B, Chlumska A, Matejiek V (1976) Liver changes in burns, as seen in the clinical morphologic picture. Acta Hepatogastroenterol 23:118
Coombes EJ, Batstone GF, Levick PL, Shakespeare PG (1979) Serum enzymes: a guide to the aetiology of burn injury. Burns 6:42
Coursaget P, Levesque P, Baudet JP, Leroy G, Greco JM (1981) Non A-non B hepatitis in burn patients Lancet 1:1416
Czaja AJ, Rizzo TA, Smith WR, Pruitt BA (1975) Acute liver disease after cutaneous thermal injury. J Trauma 15:887
Davies JWL (1982) Physiological responses to buring injury. Academic Press, New York, p 379
Dobson EL, Warner GF (1957) Factors concerned in the early stages of thermal shock. Cric Res 5:69
Donati L, Francesconi G, Musie L (1965) Studio di alcuni sistemi enzimatici nel plasma di ustionati. Minerva Chir 20:372
Feller I, Tholen D, Cornell RG (1980) Improvements in burn care, 1965 to 1979. J Am Med Assoc 244:2074
Heimburger SL, McDougal WS, Xilmore DW, Pruitt BA (1978) Correction of hepatocellular dysfunsction during endotoxemia. J Surg Res 24:442
Hejcmanova B, Konickova Z, M Usil J, Moserova, J (1979) Post-burn changes in basic biochemical indices in rat liver tissue. Acta Chir Plast 21:191
Hitchcock CR, Horowitz S (1959) Therapy of severely burned patients. Arch Surg 74:485
Marsilii G, Branzi G (1952) La reazione di transaminazione a livello della cute (IV) Significato della transaminasi dell (ac. L+ Glutammico. BSIBS 28:1271
Newmann JJ, Strome DR, Goodwin CW, Mason AD Jr, Pruitt BA Jr (1982) Altered muscle metabolism in rats after thermal injury. Metabolism 31:1229
Noakes TD, Carter JW (1982) The responses of plasma biochemical parameters to a 56 km race in novice and experienced ultra-marathon runners. Eur J Appl Physiol 49:179
Pagani G (1964) Comportamento di alcune attività enzimatiche nel siero degli ustionati. Rass Dermatol Sifilogr 17:326
Pruit BA Jr, Mason AD Jr, Moncrief JA (1971) Hemodynamic changes in the early postburn patient. J Trauma 11:36
Reichard H, Liljedahl SO, Birke G (1963) Serum activity of ornitine carbamoyl transferase and transaminases in severe burns. Acta Chir Scand 126:45
Schmidt E, Schmidt FW (1969) Enzyme modifications during exercise. Med Sport (Basel) 3:216
Schmidt E, Schmidt FW (1979) The importance of enzymatic analysis in medicine. In: Bergmeyer HU (ed) Methods of enzymatic analysis. Academic, New York p 6
Schmidt K, Benz R (1982) Changes of membrane conductance and permeablility by constituents of normal and burned skin. Biochim Biophys Acta 692:52
Sevitt S (1957) Burns. Pathology and therapeutic applications. Butterworths, London, p 258
Spector AA, Pauli WA (1963) Early changes in serum enzymes in the rat following burn trauma. J Appl Physiol 18:818
Talaat SM, El-Din Beheri G, Sobhi Zaki M, Nabil El-Bolkainy M (1973) Prevention of early histopathological changes in the liver in extensive burns. Br J Plast Surg 26:132
Utili R, Abernathy CO, Zimmermann HJ (1977) Minireview: endotoxin effects on the liver. Life Sci 20:553
Wilkinson JM, Robinson JM (1974) Factors involved in the release of intracellular enzymes. In: Burlina A. (ed) Proceedings of the Sixth International Symposium on Clinical Enzymology, Milano, p 7
Wilmore DW, Aulick LH, Mason AD, Pruit BA (1977) Influence of the burn wound on local and systemic responses to injury. Ann Surg 186:444
Wilmore DW, Aulick LH (1978) Metabolic changes in burned patients. Surg Clin North Am 58:1173
Winkel P, Statland BE, Bokelund H (1974) Factor contributing to intra-individual variation of serum constituens: 5 short-term day-to-day and within-hour variation of serum constituens in healthy subjects. Clin Chem 20:1520
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Chiarelli, A., Siliprandi, L., Casadei, A. et al. Aminotransferase changes in burned patients. Intensive Care Med 13, 199–202 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00254704
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00254704