high ALT/AST levels

I am a 25 year old female who just had my annual check up with my physician. The results of my blood test showed high levels of liver enzymes (AST was at 41 and ALT was at 85)My doctor is now ordering more tests such as ones for Hep B&C. I am very worried! I am healthy and have never had any medical problems. Is this cause for concern? I am lost at the moment. I have never done drugs and drink about once every 1-2 months, usually only 1-2 drinks max. There is no history of liver problems in my family. Any advice would help.

[nygirl7]

First off try to calm down you can hear how frantic you are straight thru the internet!  It's OK!

HepC is the disease most of us in here have. It is generally a VERY slowly progressing disease. I had it for 25 years and never knew it.  There are something like 5 million people infected and only 150,000 currently treating. So you can see how many people have NO idea. I sure didn't!

MANY people have no obvious ways to have picked up the disease at all. But they have it.  Unfortunately years ago you could have gotten it from the dentist or from getting your nails done at a spa even...it's that insidious.

But first - you don't know if you even do have it. Have the blood test so you have some peace of mind.

Liver enzymes can go up and down for MANY reasons aside from Hep. Yours are not really that high - mine were in the 200s before I started treatment and are now in the 20s.

Don't panic. Even if your results does come back positive....this treatment is doable - not fun but...not the end of the world.

Calm down. Most likely your enzymes are from taking advil or over exercising or something dumb.

I hope that covers stuff for you.

[HCA]

You have mild elevations and if you follow this link,

http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/40024562/

and look under the list headed mild elevations you will find a list of the possible causes,some of which are not at all serious.

[jmjm530]

Try not to jump to any conclusions or panic needlessly. First of all, your enzymes are only mildly elevated and the cause could be any number of things ] that have nothing to do with hepatitis. Your doctor did the right thing to order the tests, but they are ordered as much to exclude hepatitis as they are to diagnose it.

Be well,

-- Jim

[mremeet]

As a point of reference, I had enzymes a little higher than yours for about a quarter of a century (I've had hep C that long). I even often drank with "recreational zeal" when I was in my 20's prior to learning of my HCV+ status. But even under all of those circumstances, my liver has minimal damage. And there are many, many people just like me out there (and here for that matter). Point being, is that a temporary increase in liver enzymes (AST and ALT) of the magnitude you're experiencing does NOT mean your liver is going down the tubes! Like the others have said, slight elevations like that can be caused by aLl sort of things unrelated to viral hepatitis. As only one example, have you taken any drugs recently, prescription or OTC? Tylenol, Ibuprofen, aspirin etc can cause enzyme elevations, especially with frequent use at higher dosages.

Anyway, hang in there and try not to worry too much. If you're otherwise healthy and young, with no history of alcohol or drug abuse, chances are it's nothing serious and will pass. In the meantime of course continue to follow up with your doctor - take care.

[mremeet]

I forgot to also mention a few things about viral hepatitis. Hepatitis A is a form of hepatitis that usually temporarily infects your liver. It's usually contracted after eating contaminated food that is either raw or undercooked (like green onions from mexico for instance). Fortunately, most otherwise healthy people recover from it ok all on their own (although they may go through a stint of jaundice and other unpleasant symptoms). Hepatitis B is a sexually contracted form of hepatitis. If you have had unprotected sex with an infected partner, you could catch it this way. It is also transmitted via blood to blood contact. Hepatitis C is exclusively contracted via blood to blood contact - IV drug users and people who received blood transfusions prior to 1992 (before it was identified) are mostly at risk. Sexual transmission of hep C is very rare, albeit possible.

Hope this helps some, take care.

[scubadiver30]

Don't mean to scare you, but those were my exact ALT/AST numbers when I was diagnosed with HCV 2 years ago. 85 /45...
I thought they were caused by medication but no, it was this pesky virus inside me for 20+ years. I'm currently treating (and it is no fun but it beats the alternative = ESLD)
So plz stay on top of your results and hope these elevations are not HEP related. If they are, stick around so you get all your good info down b4 treating