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What does it mean when my liver enzymes are elevated and how could it affect my health?I had blood work done four months ago and my liver enzymes were elevated. I had my blood tested again this week and they are saying my liver enzymes are still elevated. What could be doing his to me and how is it going to affect my health in the future.
dmh
There are a lot of variables at play.
Liver enzymes increase when there is damage to the liver. As the liver detoxifies the blood some damage is normal. If your liver enzymes are elevated you might have a liver disorder.
It depends exactly which enzymes are elevated, and by how much, but some common causes are drinking too much, obesity, diabetes, infections, metabolic liver diseases, gallstones, ETC.
Treatment depends on the cause of the elevation. If they are only mildy elevated the dr may just retest in another few months. If the last test showed that they were HIGHER than the first time it is more concerning than if they were lower, but still a high result.
Hope that helps.
cindy1323
Elevated liver enzymes are a sign of inflammation. Inflammation causes scarring of the liver if it continues. Elevated liver enzymes are often the first signs of hepatitis. Has your doctor tested you for hepatitis A, B, & C? Many people are asymptomatic for years, even decades. A simple blood test will tell if you have the antibodies. If you do, then you will need another blood test to tell if you have active, chronic infection or not.
If the cause of your elevated enzymes are from a viral infection, the liver will continue to become scarred, causing an inability for the blood to flow through it in the filtration process. If the scarring progresses to cirrhosis, more serious complications arise. Cirrhosis can lead to liver failure and the need for transplantation if undiagnosed or untreated. First step is to find out why your liver is inflamed. Many other things can cause inflammation, too. Make sure your doctor is doing all he can do to find the cause. If you don't get answers, go to another doctor. You need your liver to live. Best wishes.
abijann
This link will tell you, from a professional, why your liver
enzymes may be elevated:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/elevated-liver-enzymes/HQ01011
The liver enzymes are known as the ALT and AST.
There is also other tests that show how the liver functions,
known as Bilirubin, INR, and Albumin and Alka Phos.
http://www.labtestsonline.org
Since you said they are stating it is the liver enzymes.
The ALT is mainly made in the liver. The AST is not
only made in the liver but other organs as well. That
is why the doctors look first at the ALT level.
When the cells of the liver become damaged, these
enzymes are released into the blood and picked up
on your blood test. If this is definitely the liver causing
this elevation, it will usually start out as inflammation.
Inflammation can be controlled and go away with
medication. If the inflammation is not treated,
then the cells of the liver can die and this is known as
cirrhosis.
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/cirrhosis/
Knowing your past medical history and seeing your lab
work and other tests results and also knowing your
family history would tell the doctor much more whether
he should suspect liver disease. There are many
different causes of this disease as you will see in the
link I posted for cirrhosis.
There are things a patient, who has a liver problem, can
do now to try to prevent any further damage that may be
causes: Avoid alcohol beverages, stay away from chemicals,
be around only healthy people, inform the doctor of every
medication you are taking which includes over the counter
meds and herb and any medications prescribed by other
doctors. Why? Alcohol, in some people is very toxic to
the liver...liver damage can be caused by mixing drugs with
alcohol also. Being exposed to harsh chemicals...like
carbon tetrachloride can cause liver damage. If your body
is trying to heal, it is best to protect yourself from others who
may pass on to you another illness and make your body
weaker. Almost every medication that enters your body,
no matter how it is taken, goes through the liver to be
broken down....and some medications have warnings that
they can cause damage to the liver. The doctor has to
weigh the pros and cons of using the medication. It is
well known that many NSAID med (pain medication brought
over the counter) carry this warning on the box.
If this is liver damage, the doctor may do further testing.
This would include more blood work, ultrasound, Ct scan.
The very best test for liver evaluation is the liver biopsy.
The best doctor to be with is a Hepatologist.
I hope this information is of some help to you.
If you do find out it is liver disease...here is a site to
look at. This is a book written by a hepatologist and
is the very first book I read. You can read articles free
on line from this book.
http://liverdisease.com/
Best wishes
Orignal From: Hepatitis c Info: What does it mean when my liver enzymes are elevated and how could it affect my health?
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