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High ALT And AST Levels. Something To Be Concerned About?
Question: my recent AST was 54 and ALT was 87. My Doctor wasnt concenrned other than more exercise
Hi
Different labs have slightly different ranges but the general range of AST is 5 to 40 u/l and ALT 7 to 56 u/l.
With these ranges your values would be slightly above the normal range.
There are many possible causes of an elevation in liver enzymes, but many of them are usually accompanied by additional signs or symptoms.
Some of the possible causes include: (1) infections such as hepatitis viruses- these would usually be accompanied by a history of exposure, jaundice, fatigue, loss of appetite,nausea and abdominal pain (2) medications - some medication such as the statins used for high cholesterol can cause a reversible elevation in liver enzymes (3) alcohol use- prolonged or excessive intake of alcohol can lead to liver changes which may progress if intake is not reduced- if use is halted then the progression to liver failure is slowed or stopped (4) diet and obesity- excess weight can cause a condition called non alcoholic fatty liver disease which is rapidly becoming one of the most common causes of liver problems as the number of persons with weight issues increases. If untreated then it can progress to liver failure.It can be improved with a change in diet to promote weight loss and exercise.
As stated earlier, your elevations are only slightly above normal and your doctor will monitor the values to see if they continue to rise.
If you have any symptoms which may suggest futher liver problems you can consider revisiting him or her- fatigue, abdominal pain, itching,jaundice, nausea,unintentional weight loss,loss of appetite.
I hope this information is helpful to you, feel free to ask any other questions
Different labs have slightly different ranges but the general range of AST is 5 to 40 u/l and ALT 7 to 56 u/l.
With these ranges your values would be slightly above the normal range.
There are many possible causes of an elevation in liver enzymes, but many of them are usually accompanied by additional signs or symptoms.
Some of the possible causes include: (1) infections such as hepatitis viruses- these would usually be accompanied by a history of exposure, jaundice, fatigue, loss of appetite,nausea and abdominal pain (2) medications - some medication such as the statins used for high cholesterol can cause a reversible elevation in liver enzymes (3) alcohol use- prolonged or excessive intake of alcohol can lead to liver changes which may progress if intake is not reduced- if use is halted then the progression to liver failure is slowed or stopped (4) diet and obesity- excess weight can cause a condition called non alcoholic fatty liver disease which is rapidly becoming one of the most common causes of liver problems as the number of persons with weight issues increases. If untreated then it can progress to liver failure.It can be improved with a change in diet to promote weight loss and exercise.
As stated earlier, your elevations are only slightly above normal and your doctor will monitor the values to see if they continue to rise.
If you have any symptoms which may suggest futher liver problems you can consider revisiting him or her- fatigue, abdominal pain, itching,jaundice, nausea,unintentional weight loss,loss of appetite.
I hope this information is helpful to you, feel free to ask any other questions
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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