Hep c

My husband has lived with hep c for more than 10 years and we recognize the symptoms of an elevated ammonia.At his latest appointment his ammonia was 364-he has not had any of his typical symptoms .Can this be a false reading-he smokes (alot).Can cigarettes cause an elevation to this degree?Thanks in advance...Kilgort

[Douglas Dieterich, MD]

Ammonia is sometimes used as a sign of encephalopathy. If your husband is confused and disoriented and the ammonia is high and correlates with those symptoms, then it can be a useful guide. Other than in those situations, it does not really mean a great deal. If his mental state is OK then forget about the ammonia level, it is not pertinent. Good luck with him! DTD

[Big eyes]

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