Physiological Effects of Age and Body Mass Index on Some Liver Function Tests in Postmenopausal Women

Abstract

Menopause is an ordinary physiologic period in aged females. It is a usual situation that occurs at the long-lasting termination of the menstrual period because of the termination of the synthesis of fertility hormones from the ovary. Menopause is an order of aging usually associated with many events in her life, and as a part of aging, many processes stop permanently or change to accommodate this situation in life. The current study was analyzed the liver function tests represented as (Lactate dehydrogenase LDH, Aspartate aminotransferase  AST, Alanine aminotransferase  ALT, Alkaline phosphatase  ALP, and estimated the De Ritis Ratio) in sera of  74  apparently well healthy volunteers females, including 33 apparently healthy premenopausal women age around (19-41) years old as a group of control and  41  apparently healthy postmenopausal female  (the menopause occur ordinarily), aged old around (55-74) years old which divided into subcategories classified according to the age and body mass index (BMI) in order to identify the effect of age progressing and BMI on liver function tests according the elderly women. Regarding the results found in this work, there is the highest elevation in serum LDH, ALT, AST, and ALP enzyme in postmenopausal women when compared with a group of controls, and an important influence of BMI and age advances on these enzyme activities in postmenopausal women but no significant variations were found in the mean activity of ALT with increasing age in postmenopausal women. Lastly, the present results of the De Ritis Ratio recognized that there was no significant change in each contrast measured in this study. Liver enzyme elevation over a period is an important indicator of metabolic variations associated with the end of ovarian function and physical changes related to age and Body Mass Index. Furthermore, BMI appeared as a worthy predictor of elevated liver enzymes. The importance of this study is to express that changes happen in post-menopausal women related to normal physiological changes with progress age, not related to pathological conditions.