In general, it’s best to check with your health care team prior to starting a new supplement or medication. Remember that even if supplement ingredients are found in nature, unintended effects and interactions with other medicines are possible. Both prescription and nonprescription medications can cause abnormalities in the liver enzymes.įor this reason, it’s very important to be careful with any nonprescription medications or supplements. However, it’s also possible that your elevated liver enzymes could be the result of a medication you’re taking. Alcohol use also has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has added to the prevalence of liver problems over the last decade. There has been a worldwide increase in obesity and its complications, such as diabetes. Genetic causes such as the inherited condition alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency or hemochromatosis.īy far, the most common causes are alcohol use disorder and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.As the name implies, this disease can be independent of alcohol use. This means there is too much fat stored in the liver cells and can be linked to obesity and diabetes. Autoimmune disease caused by malfunctions of the immune system, such as autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cholangitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis.Viral hepatitis, such as hepatitis B, C and D.But there are many other causes of elevated liver enzymes, including: This confusion is understandable because alcohol use disorder is a major cause of liver damage. The most common response we hear after someone is told they have elevated liver enzymes is, “Wait, doctor, I don’t drink heavily. Generally, if you have not reached stage 4, fibrosis is reversible. It’s best to evaluate liver enzymes early to hopefully prevent any progression of scarring, especially to cirrhosis. Stage 4 is advanced liver disease, known as cirrhosis.Stage 3 means there is advanced scarring.Stage 2 means there is moderate scarring.This matters because if the inflammation continues unabated for long enough, you could develop scarring in the liver, known as fibrosis. Mild to moderate elevation in liver enzymes often means there is some type of inflammation within the liver. What does it mean if my liver enzymes are elevated? The upper limit of typical for ALP is around 115 U/L for men and 100 U/L for women. Generally speaking, the upper limit of typical for AST and ALT for men is 35 to 40 units per liter (U/L) and for women is 25 to 30 U/L. Typical ranges can vary between the sexes, based on age and at different laboratories. ALT is the most specific enzyme to the liver itself. ALP is also produced by bone and in the placenta during pregnancy. For example, AST increases with muscle damage such as in a heart attack or muscle trauma. These enzymes are produced by other organs as well.
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ALP is linked to injury of the bile ducts - a series of tubes that carry the bile produced by the liver cells and empty into the intestines.Īlthough considered liver injury tests, elevation in any or all of these enzymes does not necessarily mean you have liver damage. AST and ALT are markers of liver cell injury. There are three main lab values that are commonly evaluated in relation to liver health: aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). When this happens, it’s natural to have questions. One of the most common reasons for a referral to a liver specialist, known as a hepatologist, is elevated liver enzymes found during routine tests. Then your health care team sends you a message recommending that you see a liver specialist. Scrolling through your online patient portal to view the results, you’re shocked to see some labs flagged as red - your liver enzymes are elevated.
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Recommended for a more accurate calculationįeel free to provide some more information and get a more detailed comment on your result.During your annual physical, your primary care team ran typical, routine labs.
* Source: The Global BMI Mortality Collaboration, Lancet 2016 388:776-86ĭo you prefer other units for height and weight?įeet and pounds (lb), stones (st), kilogrammes (kg) Read more about the other privacy issues concerning this site. The values entered here will only be stored in the results page of your browser and nowhere else. It is based on the results of the most comprehensive study* published so far on the BMI and its associated health risks. The SBMI – an index that has been developed four years ago especially for this calculator – serves for this purpose. This calculator computes the body mass index and rates it appropriately for men, women, children, juveniles and seniors.
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