A month later, alts and iron still high

[TravisB]

I'm not on TX having relapsed afterwards. I don't drink and I live like a monk.  A month ago my alts tested 650 the highest I've ever tested by a factor of ten.  I stopped all of the supplements I had been taking including Udo's Choice Oil and now, a month later alts are still at 330.

The only clue I have - and forgive me if I'm desprately reaching here - is that a recent appointment to the dentist revealed that I may have an infection in the root of one of my teeth.  Is it possible for such an infection to cause my alts to sky rocket like this or am I reaching for straws.

[mfife31]

Just a thought, have they considered hemochromatosis?

[Kalio1]

Regardless of the cause, lowering your iron level lowers the risk of damage. If it was me I'd be worried about what that level of iron ws doing to my liver. Removing some blood seems like a simple solution. I hope you get some answers soon either from your doctor or the one he is sending you to.

[TravisB]

Kalio:  Thanks for the link.  Since I have never had high iron before, the doctor is saying it's related to the high alts not causing the high alts.  But who knows. I don't eat any iron rich foods.

I stopped the Udo's 5 weeks ago so it's doubtful that the Udo's is the cause.

[TravisB]

My alts dropped when I first stopped taking the supplements but now it has stayed at 350 for a month so it's no longer dropping.  

My plattlets are very good as is every other reading except for the iron which is a bit elevated and has been since the alts got so high.

It's good to hear that 200 is not twice as bad as 100 but I kind of know how my engine runs and for all these eleven years of testing my alts have hovered around 50 to 60 except when I first relapsed at which point they hit 100 for a month.  So I've got a bad feeling about all of this.

My doctor is also very concerned and will be contacting a nearby university medical center where there are some genuine experts.  One thing that worries me is how concerned my doctor is lol.  I'm part of a huge hmo and they generally are not concerned with much.

I hate the thought that my alts are so high because I suspect that much more damage is being done to my liver on an every day basis than when they were only 50 to 60.  No proof of that but it seems likely.

Thanks for the many opinions and well wishes.  I was hoping someone would say it's my tooth infection but I suspected that was doubtful.

[pigeonca]

Have you been checked for autoimmune hepatitis?

[niceguy2007]

travis,

a lot of things could cause high ALT.  maybe the oil is doing that?

i'd suggest u include milk thistle capsules in ur daily regimen.  also, please look into homeopathic chelidonium, lycopodium, taraxacum, and myrica cerifera.  better to get these in non alcoholic extracts.

will help with the ALT.

[Kalio1]

Sorry about the multiple posts. One way to lower iron levels is iron depletion therapy or blood removal, like when you donate blood. In a case like yours obviously you could remove the blood but throw it away instead of donating it. I'd talk to your doctor about lowering that iron level because high iron levels are related to liver damage. He might have other ways of lowering your iron. I'd also try to avoid anything with iron in it that you consume.

[Kalio1]

not sure that one worked, maybe this one will.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10347134&dopt=Abstract

Maybe your doctor needs to do someting about the iron soon.

[Kalio1]

If I remember right you also have high iron? that could be causing the high ALT readings. Maybe this will help.
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/106596363/ABSTRACT?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

[honey11]

Hi Travis,,,Looks like after stopping all the supplements,,,the alt is going back down. May want to keep off for awhile and continue to monitor if you can monthly. The infection in your tooth can of course make you sick and cause you pain and even cause blood pressure to go up but alt,,,nope.  Hope your alt continues to drop!

[Kalio1]

Hey, Monks get to at least drink wine! Guess we have it worse than monks! ;)

The virus can cause elevated enzyme levels all by itself.
They have gone down a lot from previously, that is good.
I have never heard of tooth infection causing raised LFTs but I am not a doctor. I am curious as to what your doctor says about your results. How does all your other bloodwork look? How are your platelets? Have you had a biopsy? Sorry, I remember your name and that you were taking Udos but the rest is a blur.

[jmjm530]

ALT is not linear so ALT 200 is not twice as bad as ALT 100. In your case, ALT 650 is not much different from ALT 350. They're both elevated and that's about all you can say. Anyway, if the "increase" was caused by "Udo's Choice Oil (have absol. no idea what "Udo" is) it could take more than a month to return to baseline. Doubt the dental work has anything to do with it unless by some chance your dentist drilled your liver by mistake :)

-- Jim