very high liver functions

[britneycole]

I went to the doctor for flu like symptoms. I was running a very high fever, chills, severe muscle aches. I have alports syndrome(kidney disease) so while there I had blood work done to check on my kidney functions. My AST levels were verrrrryyyyy high....631. ALT was 483. Also glucose was higher than usual and Neutrophils were pretty high while Lymphocytes were very low. I'm only 21 and very concerned. Could any of this have anything to do with my kidneys? Can all this be just because I was very sick? I'm also concerned because 6 years ago, I had to have my stomache pumped because I took enough tylenol to kill myself. Could this have any relevance even after so long?

[KjFlicka]

Great (and inclusive) summary!! You should have this on your clipboard to cut and paste as this question comes up pretty frequently. ;-) Thanks for sharing!

[Strype]

Here's the deal...

From what I have read it is impossible to diagnose someone on elevated liver function alone. Given that you were sick, that could be the problem. The liver is resilient

AST > ALT can be alcohol or drug induced liver damage.

ALT > AST can be hepatitis or a disease

BUT...

ALT > 300 is usually not alcoholism.


Here is one of the better quotes I've seen:

********AST:
Maximum elevations are associated with certain diseases and conditions. For example, very high elevations (more than 20 times normal) may indicate acute viral hepatitis, severe skeletal muscle trauma, extensive surgery, drug- induced hepatic injury, and severe liver congestion. High levels (ranging from 10 to 20 times normal) may indicate severe myocardial infarction (heart attack), severe infectious mononucleosis, and alcoholic cirrhosis. High levels may also occur during the resolving stages of conditions that cause maximal elevations. Moderate-to-high levels (ranging from 5 to 10 times normal) may indicate chronic hepatitis and other conditions. Low-to-moderate levels (ranging from 2 to 5 times normal) may indicate metastatic hepatic tumours, acute pancreatitis, pulmonary emboli, alcohol withdrawal syndrome, and fatty liver (steatosis). ******


All of that is fine and dandy, but when it comes down to it no one can diagnose you of anything based strictly on AST:ALT ratio unless you have a fairly bad history of alcoholism. The doctor will take everything into account, not just that liver function test.