Elevated ALT, AST And Alk Phos. Next Step?

Posted on Tue, 4 Jun 2013

Question: Should I be concerned about an ALT blood level of 63; anAST reading of 47 and a ALK PHOS reading of 120???
If so, what is next step?

Answered by Dr. Ram Choudhary (2 hours later)

Hi XXXXXXX
Welcome to Healthcare Magic.
Your liver functions are deranged. This shows a liver insult, cause can be a hepatitis virus infection like hep.A,B,C or E or other hepatotropic virus infection, fatty liver due to erratic dietary habits or alcohol intake or may be due to some drug or any toxic foods.
You should get a repeat full liver function test including bilirubin levels, SGOT/SGPT/Alk.phosphatase , Albumin and Prothrombin time in a week's time to see the trend to decide about management, Also get an Ultrasound of whole abdomen to assess the liver.
Mean while avoid alcohol if any, avoid fast foods, fried and fatty foods and nonvege if any.
If you have yellowish discoloration at sclera of the eyes XXXXXXX skin and urine, which suggests jaundice then you should get evaluated by a local physician and would need urgent medical attention. Otherwise you can wait.
I hope the advise would be helpful for you.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Ram Choudhary (7 hours later)

Is my liver insult permanent or can it be reversed? If because of alcohol can I cut back to moderate consumption or must I stop completely? In dec 2012 my numbers were: ALT 22, ast 27, alp 94. In mid february2013 I was on crestor for 10 days then on niacin for 6 weeks.. I am now on 4000 mg. Of omega 3 s and 1000 mg of magnesium citrate.is there any supplement I can take to reduce my present numbers??if I reduce my alcohol consumption, how long would it take to get my numbers in the normal range again?

Answered by Dr. Ram Choudhary (9 hours later)

Hi XXXXXXX
Welcome back to Healthcare Magic.
I think you have got Alcohol related liver injury. It seems you are enjoying too much, alcohol abuse is taking toll on your liver health.
Initially the damage is fully reversible but after a certain point of damage permanent changes called cirrhosis take place and then nothing much can be done with medicines.
Please get the full LFT and ultrasound of abdomen.
You need a full abstinence fron alcohol.
Take a multivitamin supplement having B-complex+vit.C+vit.A+E twice a day for about a month.
Get LFT every week.
Your current medicines will hardly be helpful if you continue to consume alcohol, infact no drug can save the liver if you do not cut down the alcohol intake reasonably.
I hope the advise would be helpful for you.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Ram Choudhary (36 minutes later)

What is LFT mean? If I reduce my intake of alcohol to one drink daily, how long before my numbers are back to normal, given that I had only been drinking heavily for under four months??
Should I be using an over the counter liver detox drink from cvs or whole foods??

Answered by Dr. Ram Choudhary (1 hour later)

Hi XXXXXXX
welcome to Healthcare magic.
LFT means Liver function test, it is the same test of which Numbers you have mentioned earlier.
It is done with other ancillary test as I have advised in previous answer to check the health of liver.
You should stop the alcohol to be safe.
If you want to try with a bit uncertainty you can try but gold standard is to abstain fully.
How much you recover will depend on how firmly you quit the alcohol and how much is the damage already done by the alcohol consumption.
I have already told you that No detox will protect as far as your liver gets the hit of alcohol. You should take balanced diets with good protein amount and low fats.
I hope you will choose the safest option and gain health soon.

Note: For more detailed guidance, please consult an Internal Medicine Specialist, with your latest reports. Click here..

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar