Liver function tests - ALT

[Panger]

I would be grateful for advice.

Does it matter if ALT are around 170? - been this for quite a while (year +) - had ultrasound scan and radiographer said it was ok - so cancelled the appointments with Doctor, and I think they have not noticed.  I am female around 45 kilograms.

Never been on a chat forum before.

[PKCO]

That doctor is either a quack or you misunderstood him. The higher the viral actvity the higher the ALT. Do you even know what ALT is and how it enters the bloodstream ? And why ? And what it represents ? The more ALT in the blood equates to more cell death in the liver. Sheesh.

[cuteus]

One interesting statement my hepatologist made at the conference I attended was that it did not matter how high the levels were, be it 100 or 1000, that the number itself meant nothing and was not indicative of more or less damage, the fact that the levels were ELEVATED was the important factor, not how much. We have this belief that enzymes level are like blood pressure, the higher it is, the worse it is and the more harmful it is. But according to Dr B, is the elevation itself, not the number, that prompts further testing.

[goldyn]

you are truly gifted what a  talent cant wait to see your updates.....

[NYgirl]

Well I feel that in order for your liver enzymes to be that high SOMETHING is going on in there and it's NOT worth sticking your head under the sand and letting it go until it's too late.

Of course that is a viable alternative and one a LOT of people DO in fact choose - just not me.

[PKCO]

"My ALT and AST were in the 200s before I started treatment. "High liver enzymes like that means for some reason something is killing your liver and causing irreversible damage to it.

The ultrasound will only tell you if you have things like tumors - it wont show the fibrosis that most likely you do have with a number like that. I think you really DO need to find out what is causing the elevated number because it's VERY high and proves there is something in there destroying your liver somehow."


Let's not scare newbies needlessly. Above normal ALT readings are not necessarily causing "irreversible damage". In fact in most of the cases they are not indicative of that at all. ALT 170 is not "VERY" high. Doctors become concerned when ALT levels reach 5X normal on repeated exams. I also think it is more than presumptive on your part to predict fibrosis (scarring) based on the info given and further scares for no reason.

PK

[jmjm530]

I concur that based on what you've written, there's no reason to suggest you may have "irreversible liver damage".

First, your ALT is not that high. ALT readings are not linear and ALT 170 is not twice as bad as ALT 85 -- it is only considered slightly (and perhaps insignificantly) higher.

Also, ALT is not associated directly associated with liver damage. You can have abnormal ALT's with no liver damage and normal ALTs with Cirrhosis. In fact many cirrhotics have normal ALTs.

That said, the really important thing is to find out why your ALTs are elevated, because elevated ALTs can be caused my many different things.

So, if you haven't seen a liver specialist yet, now would be the time to really sort things out.  They're called hepatologists and can be found at your larger teaching hospitals.

Good luck and let us know what you find.

-- Jim