At what levels (ast/alt) does liver damage occur? JMJM? RESEARCHER?

[Penelope1911]

Hi everybody...I'm in complete shock. I took my son over to the clinic for his Mononucleosis because he isn't getting better, just worse and his ALT came back at 664 and AST at 468. He is sooooo sick. his Bili was at 1.10 though so that is ok... I guess. Range is ?-1.30. They put him on I.V.'s for a little over an hour and then sent him home. On his test results sheet it says Critical High instead of just High so that kinda freaked me out. Shouldn't he be in the hospital for enzymes like that??? Just wondering. I mean geesh, I have tx'd for Hep for crying out loud and mine have only been up to the 200's and I thought that was scary..LOL. I also decided to have him tested for Hep C also. I am going to get all 4 of them tested...just to be safe. Anyways, I really hope someone can answer my question. Love to all,
                                                   -Mequila.

[dontworry_behappy1]

Do you have Hepatitis C?  

[flyinlynn]

Hi Lu
Welcome to the forum. This is a really old thread from 2007. To help folks see your question click on post a question link a the top right of the page and start a new thread

Good luck
Lynn

[Lu7071]

Hi all,

I was on meds to lower BP since November 2013.  In March of 2014, I started to feel a bit weird.  Tired, needed a nap more often.  In April, I felt my joints began to hurt.  Then my skin started to turn a bit yellow, along with the white parts of my eyes.  I saw my doctor immediately.  It turns out that my ALT is really high, in the 900's and over a two week period, it got about 10 points higher and it is scaring me to say the least.

Can you get Hep C from medications???  I have gone for an ultrasound and they told me that my liver and gallbladder are slightly inflamed.  Any thoughts would be appreciated!!!

[shesam]

High liver enzymes are just a number of what is happening at the moment. What should worry you is if those elevated enzymes don't return to normal. I have hadHep C for 12 years and was recently told that my liver disease had reached stage4 (cirrhosis).  And my enzymes never showed more than the 75-80 range (except at the beginning when they were over 1000!)

The bad part of this is that the Dr.s get so used to telling you that you're OK, only mildly elevated enzymes, when really much more is happening to the body!  My suggestion is regular blood tests every 3 months and if still not normal after one year,then seek more and different types of liver testing. And yes, go ahead and see if Hep C is present.  It doesn't hurt to know.

[asle]

Welcome to the Forum.
I've sent a message to your profile page suggesting you start a new post with your queries. Use the brown box at the top of the page that says 'post a question'. This post is 6 years old, with a couple of additions over the years.
More people will see it if you start a new thread, and reply.
Good luck.

[polly346]

In September of 2012 i was told i had Hep C. I did the 6 months of treatment. I finished in April of this year. Before my treatment and after treatment my ALT/AST were at 100 to 68 ( not bad). now that my treatment is over they are up to 300????? Dr thinks i might have autoimun Hep..she wants me to wait a few months and come back for more blood tests. from what i have seen on internet this can not be cured?? Is this true?

[uncledudeness]

this is the Hep C forum. you should post a new thread in the Hep B forum....good luck

[worriedsome770]

I have hep.B .I am having hard time finding a doctor who knows about the disease process. I went to a few and all they do when i ask a simple question...scratch their head and say let me check get back to you ...i am very frustrated . i live in atlanta. can anyone help me find one please..

[cantatedomino]

Sorry to hear about this. If it were me I would want to be hospitalized or at least monitored Liver Functions weekly. Diet and cleansing is important. Consult a Doctor about this. Take at least a gram of Milk Thistle daily (or 300mg 3x a day). Drink Dandelion Tea 2x daily. Reevaluate MEDS so that his body may adjust. I am no Doctor but I am surviving Hep C for 17 years. I do notice my enzymes go up based upon different factors like diet, stress, meds, exercise, etc.
Good Luck and God bless.

[Bill1954]

Hi Dave,

You probably want to repost this question on a new thread; scroll to the top of this page, and click on the green ‘post a question’ button; you’ll get lost on this old thread,

Bill

[Dave2020]

I am going through some kind of liver problem, possibly related to antibiotics, they thought it was acute Hep A or Mono but I've been tested for everything multiple times and all results are negative.  I feel better now, even GREAT.  My last tests showed AST/ALT levels above 900!  And that was an indication that I'm better, I don't know what they were before.  

Does anyone else have a similar experience?

[merryBe]

will say a prayer for your son....kids are very resilient so keep remembering that.
What was in the IV?
when does he get checked again? That's important, try to get another blood draw soon to see if things are coming down or ese consider what HR said regarding pharmaceuticals.

and yes, it would be wisdom to check the other kids for both...
also, you must be careful with his dishes//glasses/etc as mono is transmitted in saliva. Best to keep him on his own couch/recliner and not rubbing up  and knocking heads with/ on his siblings until clear of this. Hopefully they told you this.
hang in there.

[Hepatitis Researcher]

EBV frequently causes a typically mild and self limiting hepatitis in children. Very very rarely a fulminant course is encountered. In severe cases, Acyclovir and Ganciclovir have been used with some sucess against EGV as antivirals. Also the newly approved anti HBV drug Clevudine has been reported to have moderate anti EBV activity. It is only available/approved  in South Korea at this time, US trials are ongoing.

Mono is very infectious, it is  also called "Infectious Mononucleosis", "Kissing Fever", Student Fever". The body however normally develops a potent CTL response against the numerous epitopes of this large Herpes type virus, that remains for life and protects against renewed outbreaks.
There is some suspicion that a subclinical chronic anti EBV reactivity might underlie some cases of chronic fatique syndrome.

[Alek07]

Hi Mequila

I have had 2 ALT flare-ups over a 12 year period, the most recent being up to 832.  During both flares I have felt fine, just a littler tired BUT........what these figures DON'T tell us is the amount of liver regeneration that goes on.

So the ALT levels you are concerned about  certainly warrant attention, but they only tell part of the story.

[yeahyee]

My son got sick on dec6 with stomach pain so i took him to the er. I found out that his liver functions were very high alt was 262 and ast was 527. He tested positive for ebv and his pediatrician said he had mono. When i took him to the liver specialist she said that it could be an auto immune disease or a metabolic disorder i was so scared when she told me that. Now they want to do a liver biopsy on my son and i am scared. My son has really no symptoms but had a sore throat for a little while. I also wake him up in the middle of the night to see if he is ok he hates it and thinks i am so wierd. I just am so scared of something being wrong with him he is my only child and he is what keeps me going i hope someone out there understands. Thanks for listening.

[Penelope1911]

Hi there, thanks for letting me know! He seems better today after forcing down all the fluids, how long did it take before yours came down? Can they just jump from very high numbers to normal within a day or so? Or does it take alot of time for them to change? Thanks again,              -Mequila.

[Penelope1911]

Whew, almost missed your comment! YES! THANK GOD FOR THIS PLACE!!!! There have been many things happen in my life since I found this place and I have recieved SO MUCH through the folks here. I don't know what I would have done without them or this place. AMEN FOR THIS PLACE!!! Blessings to ya!
                      -Mequila

[shastri20032003]

I had jaundice symptoms and thats how I got diagnosed with acute hep c
september 06--ALT/AST IN 900's
december 06-ALT/AST IN 300'S
feb 07-ALT/AST in 200's
2nd march 07--started tx
9th march 07--ALT/AST IN 40's and still holding till now
So starting tx played a mojor role in bringing my enzyme levels to 40's
I dont know if this can be compared to your sons ALT/AST numbers but I hope it can help
Take care

[shastri20032003]

Hi. My levels were in the 900's when I was first diagnosed with hep c and my bilirubin was hovering aorund 9.0
Hope your son gerts better
Regards

[missy60051]

Oh my!  I hope your son gets better soon.  I would be so scared to see AST/ALT levels like that as well.  Thank god for this forum, huh.
We just learn something new every day.
I'm sure you'll take good care of him
Missy

[Penelope1911]

Thanks cruelworld, i'm staying on top of it alright. Hopefully the I.V. and all the liquids will get him "flushed".

Jmjm, I made them run a Hep panel today. I plan on doing all 4 kids just to be safe and not have that worry in the back of my head 24/7. Thanks for letting me know that it doesn't mean he needs to be in the hospital. This is just scaring the heck outta me. He looks so bad. And I feel so helpless. Anyways, thanks again.                   -Mequila

[jmjm530]

Sorry about your son. I know very little about mono, but a lot of people have had liver enzymes that high without being hospitalized. The important thing is that your son is getting a correct diagnosis and is being seen by an infectious disease expert. Also probably a good time to run a Hep panel on your son, including Hep C, just to rule that out. Lastly, have you discussed this with your own doctor? Not sure how infectious mono is but you may have to take precautions considering the state of your own liver.

All the best,

-- Jim

[cruelworld]

the high alt ast levels dont cause the damage, they indicate that the liver is being destroyed right now though. it has to be turned around. many times big spikes like that can be straightened out pretty quickly so long as its not hep c which is highly unlikely. dont worry too much, just stay on top of it.

[Penelope1911]

Thanks for your concern. I guess that Mono does this sometimes to liver enzymes. I just cant believe how high they are. Since I posted this, I have calmed down a little. He is now sitting up watching T.V. in bed. He has been asleep for so long...I get scared to check him. (not to mention he gets mad at me for waking him LOL. Speaking of that, its time to give him another bottle of water. Thanks again for your concern. Blessings to ya!!!