What do high liver enzymes on my blood test mean?
Raised ALT or AST means liver cells are irritated, not that the liver is failing. The everyday causes dominate: fatty liver, alcohol, recent viral illness, some medicines and supplements, and vigorous exercise before the blood draw.
Mild elevations usually earn a recheck in a few weeks with honest attention to alcohol, weight and any new pills, including herbal ones, in between.
Levels several times normal, or any elevation with jaundice, dark urine, pale stools or belly pain, moves faster. Bring every supplement bottle to the follow-up; green tea extract and bodybuilding products are repeat offenders.
Source: NHS, liver disease
See a doctor promptly if
- Hemoglobin well below the normal range with breathlessness, chest pain, or dizziness on standing
- Potassium below 3.0 mmol/L or above 6.0 mmol/L. This needs same-day contact, not a routine appointment
- A sudden large rise in creatinine, or a new drop in eGFR, especially with reduced urine output
- Liver enzymes several times the upper limit with yellow eyes, dark urine, pale stools, or right upper abdominal pain
- Platelets under 50 x10^9/L, or a very high or very low white cell count with fever
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Answered by the AskDoc Medical Team · Medically reviewed under our Medical Director, MBBS · How we review
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