Prevalence of Abnormal Liver function Tests in Laboratory Workers

AbstractStandard clinical biochemical tests were reviewed from 170 asymptomatic and presumably healthy volunteers who participated in 14 drug research projects in order to determine the prevalence of abnormal liver function tests (LFT) in laboratory vs. non-laboratory workers. Forty percent of the laboratory workers had abnormal LFT while LFT were abnormal in only 10.5% of non-laboratory exposed persons (p = >0.005). Total serum billrubin was increased in 18.7% of the laboratory workers as opposed to only 4.7% of non-laboratory workers (p => 0.005). Twenty-one percent of the laboratory workers had an abnormal LFT other than total bilirubin as compared to only 5.9% of the non-laboratory workers (p = > 0.005). There was no evidence for Hepatitis B in any person with abnormal LFT. We postulate that the abnormal LFT seen in laboratory workers most likely results from chronic low-dose exposure to xenobiotics found in the laboratory work situation. Drug study volunteers from this occupational group should be ch...