High ALT Liver level

I'm 39 years old; white male, 220lb, 5’ 10”, with heart decease in my family, I haven’t had problems yet.

The doctor has given me Cholesterol medication SIMVASTATIN 40MG once a day tablet (I'm about 60 pts high).  I’m scared that my ALT which is already high at 35 (my doctors scale 9-33) might increase and do damage to my liver.  My doctor doesn’t seem worried about the ALT; he told me to take the SIM pills and hasn’t talked about the ALT level.

Is a 35 really high?  Or possibly will changing my really really fat fat diet into a good diet bring the levels down?  I would imagine losing some weight and lowing my Cholesterol would bring my ALT level back down if a 35 is not really pass the point of fixing.

Thanks, Ray

[jlg17]

if you have heart disease in you family you shouldnt need me to tell ya to watch what your eating.you gotta try to cut back a little..help yourself..im sure they are gonna check your liver numbers in 2 weeks or a month..try helping yourself..dont rely on medicine so much..good luck.

[geminigirl1963]

I just recently had some bloodwork done and the range for the ALT on their scale is 9-52, so your count of 35 is well within the normal range.

However, if you want to lower the reading, changing your diet and losing some weight very well may help.  Also watch the amount of any acetaminophen you might be taking (if any), especially if you also drink alcohol.

Best of luck!

[mikesimon]

Different labs can have different reference ranges. And men and women have different reference ranges.
I would rely on the values on your lab result sheet but even there it is marginally elevated - another test today might yield a normal result..

Cholesterol lowering drugs like the one you're taking - statins - can raise liver enzymes. My understanding is that cautious doctors get a baseline value for your liver enzymes and re-test in a month or 6 weeks to see what impact the drug may be having. Often there will be mild elevations which don't appear to cause any liver impairment but it's best to stay on top of this stuff. Sometimes, if the enzymes become elevated, a different statin can be substituted  which obtains the desired cholesterol lowering without as significant an elevation in liver enzymes.

I'd talk with your doctor about it. If he's not interested I'd see someone else. Google "statins cholesterol" - this isn't mysterious - it's obvious.

An ALT of 35 isn't significantly elevated - it could very well be normal on another lab sheet. It, in and of itself, probably isn't cause for concern. But, in my opinion, you're smart to be concerned about the effect a statin might have on your ALT. And it's easy to check on it.


Good luck,
Mike

[RayPStewart]

Thanks for the help.  My doctor finally e-mailed me back today and he told me that if there was a serious problem with my Liver my ALT would have been much higher and not to worry about the ALT at this time.  I'm going to change my diet and take the Cholesterol pills and get another blood test in a month.
Thanks Again.