ALT and AST totals

[EyesofBlue55]

This is about the 8th set of labs Ive done since being diagnosed back in March of 2010.My AST and ALT have always been in the normal range and have always been in the 20's.Labs I got today say that my AST is 16 and my ALT is 17.Could this drop mean anything????They have NEVER been this low!!!!!(And Im NOT on tx yet).I kinda figured that they would be going up!!!!  cindy

Also what is the TSH total for??? This is new on ,my tests.

[desrt]

http://labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/tsh/tab/test

The TSH test relates to thyroid function. It's done routinely for patients doing IFN ecause of the possibility of thyroid damage.
The difference of ALT/AST being in the teens or twenties could be something as simple as exercise or OTC medications.

[HectorSF]

Not sure why you are having so many blood tests. What is the purpose? They don't tell you anything relevant regarding your hepatitis or liver disease. The only people with HCV really need this many blood tests are people with End-Stage Liver Disease because they can have dramatic changes in their health condition that occur in a short period of time.

What matters is if you have a viral load, meaning you are chronically infected and a biopsy report stating the stage of liver disease.

Blood levels are dynamic they are constantly changing and always will change. Every blood test will vary throughout the day and day to day depending on how sensitive the test is.

Hector

[pooh55811]

The thyroid function is checked prior to treatment and during treatment because some of the medications can cause thyroid problems. The doctor needs a baseline before treatment to be sure the thyroid is funtioning properly before treatment.

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/thyroid-stimulating-hormone-tsh

"A thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) blood test is used to check for thyroid gland problems. TSH is produced when the hypothalamus releases a substance called thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH). TRH then triggers the pituitary gland to release TSH. See pictures of the thyroid gland and the pituitary gland .

TSH causes the thyroid gland to make two hormones: triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4). T3 and T4 help control your body's metabolism.

A thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) blood test is used to check for thyroid gland problems. TSH is produced when the hypothalamus releases a substance called thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH). TRH then triggers the pituitary gland to release TSH. See pictures of the thyroid gland and the pituitary gland .

TSH causes the thyroid gland to make two hormones: triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4). T3 and T4 help control your body's metabolism. "

I am not sure about your AST and ALT drops. I do know that those lab results can go up and down over time. Mine was up, then went a bit higher, then went down some, and then went to normal before treatment even began. Labs have different normals so it is important to know what your lab considers normal.

Hope this helps.