Hepatocellular damage following burn injury demonstrated by a more sensitive marker: alpha-glutathione S-transferase.

Following burn injury, some complex reactions are initiated that are mainly managed by the liver and that can cause injury at the liver. Alpha glutathione S-transferase (alpha-GST) is a sensitive marker that is very sensitive in the monitoring of hepatocellular damage. We tried, in this study, to demonstrate liver injury in burn patients using alpha-GST. Forty-four patients with burn injury treated at the Burn Treatment and Care unit of the Atatürk University Medical School between July 2006 and July 2007 were included in the study. Patient data were collected. Three blood samples were taken from the patients (at admittance [first sample], 120 hours after admittance [second sample], and on the fourteenth day [third sample]) for the analysis of alpha-GST, alanine amino transferase, aspartate amino transferase activities, and albumin and c-reactive protein levels. There was a statistically significant difference between alpha-GST activities of the study group at admission (P<.001), on the fifth day (P<.001), and the 14th day (P<.001) and those of the control group. There was a decrease in alpha-GST activities during the hospitalization period. Alanine amino transferase and aspartate amino transferase activities in all three samples of the study group were not different from each other and from the values obtained from the control group. The albumin levels of the study group were significantly different from those of the control group. The c-reactive protein levels of the study group were different from those of the control group at admission, on the fifth day, and fourteenth day (P<.001, P<.001, and P<.01). Our findings suggest that burn injury causes liver injury, and alpha-GST can be used to demonstrate this.