Biomarkers of Liver Status in Heavy Alcoholics Drinkers Resident in Bayelsa State, Nigeria

Background and Objective: The wide variety of biomarkers reflecting liver status is known to be influenced by heavy alcohol consumers and the dose-response relationships between alcohol intake and marker changes have not been fully elucidated. Therefore, the study aimed to evaluate the Biomarkers of liver status in heavy alcoholic drinkers resident in Bayelsa State. This will help us develop a diagnostic tool for alcohol-related disorders with positive management outcomes that will aid us in forming a diagnostic tool for the diseases associated with alcohol consumption with good management outcomes. Materials and Methods: The study included 200 male and female subjects ranging in age from 15 to 65 years. A well-structured pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect information that was used to categorise participants into four groups: Non-alcohol consumers (one drink per month), occasional alcohol consumers (1-3 drinks per month), moderate alcohol consumers (1-5 drinks per week) and heavy alcohol consumers (>2 drinks per day). Results: Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST) (11.54±3.63 U/L) and Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) (6.30±1.79 U/L) were significantly higher in group 4 and progressively from group 2 to 4 when compared to control (aspartate aminotransferase (5.28±1.28 U/L), alanine aminotransferase (2.86±0.76 U/L). The AST and ALT were all significantly higher in the test groups when compared to control. Conclusion: The study concluded that chronic alcohol consumption alters aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase (liver enzymes) affecting the function of the liver and hence can be used as a biomarker for heavy alcohol drinkers.