slightly elevated AST and ALT question

[tuffluck]

hi, a couple of months back my physical came back and everything was good except AST was 55 and ALT was 68.  google says normal is 48 for AST and 55 for ALT, although my doctor's *normal* requirements were slightly lower.

just looking at my numbers they don't look elevated much at all, but i don't really know if any elevation above normal is cause for concern.  i'm in good shape and very active, but i do have a couple of things that may contribute to this.

1. i take losartan for BP, which is listed to be a drug that can raise AST/ALT; i've taken it for a few years now, the last time i got a physical i had just started the losartan so previous blood tests may not rule out losartan as a cause for raised levels
2. i used to take gout medicine but quit a couple of years back, again in between physicals so no way to rule out this as a cause
3. i imbibe in alcohol more than i probably should, but have an ample amount of down time from boozing too and although not necessarily a scientific explanation, i don't appear to party anymore than my young 30-year old friends that are my age and who are perfectly healthy

my doctor didn't seem terribly concerned by my levels, but wanted to do a follow up blood test which i've yet to do because i'm not sure what i should be doing to fix the problem.  should i be concerned by these numbers?  i can't exactly stop taking BP medicine, but i have cut back on booze to some degree, although it's hard to really know if i'm doing any good without another test.  does anyone have thoughts/concerns about my levels and ways to potentially get them back into the normal range easily?  from what i've read alcohol-related liver enzyme problems are usually 3x normal levels and i'm not even close to them, so i'm wondering if the medicine i've been on is more likely the root of the problem.  thanks for any help.

[fntn]

Yes, your numbers are only slightly elevated, not alarming. And your doctor is correct in doing the standard procedure, check the levels again after a few months to see if the problem is chronic or not.

Try to avoid any alcohol for at least a week before the next blood test. This will eliminate the possible elevation of the simple alcohol consumption. If the levels are still elevated, then you are likely dealing with fatty liver disease.

And yes you are right, your enzyme levels are not high enough or in the correct ratio to be worried about having Alcoholic Hepatitis, which is a serious condition.