I just had a blood test come back with ALT levels at 8000! I am otherwise a healthy 33 year old who exercises moderately. Could this elevation be from the muscle break down instead of the liver?
Christine
Normal range on Quest diagnostics is 9 - 60.
If you drink a lot of alcohol quitting may improve your ALT. If it is due to something else - hepatitis c or b, for example, you may need to take medication.
Regardless, you should see a doctor, preferably a gastroenterologist or a hepatologist, who can order blood tests to determine what is causing your enzyme elevation. ALT is a liver enzyme and when it is elevated it reflects the fact that liver cells are dying at a higher than normal rate. The higher the ALT the higher the cell death. 158 is not extremely high, by any means, but it is high enough to warrant further testing.
Mike