What causes elevated liver?

If your doctor has recently told you that your liver tests came back abnormal, and tried to explain it using words like ALT, AST, GGT or Bilirubin; do not freak out. No one is about to revoke your drinking license (at least just yet).

Understanding what causes elevated liver enzymes can be confusing for anyone who isn’t a medical professional but fear not! We’ve put together this amazing article full of jokes and quirky terminology which will help you understand why your family doctor now wants to send you on a rollercoaster ride through the world of medicine.

The Great-and-Almighty-Liver

Our livers are both majestic beasts and walking garbage disposals at the same time. Not only does our liver filter blood from toxins in order for us humans to keep living – the liver also ships all necessary substances (including fat) off into other parts of our body so we don’t barf them up right after eating (which would really suck).

In fact, The American Liver Foundation describes the hepatic wonder as “THE vital organ” with over 500 functions related to metabolism (you read that right: 500!!)

So let me tell you — when someone mentions something ain’t working within their own personal trash chute…there IS cause for concern!

Warning Signs

With an understanding of how important our livers are in keeping our bodies functioning properly, it’s crucial to know when things go wrong (and therefore urgent care may be needed) Here’s a quick rundown:

  • Yellowing eyes/skin
  • Dark urine
  • Underappreciated pain around ribcage or stomach region
  • Low energy levels – whatever that means…
  • Itching – above usual levels? Yeah..that bad boy needs some investigating…
    …all these are indicative symptoms pointing towards something being amiss with our beloved …you guessed it…liver!

The nuculear family of causes

When your doctor or nurse yammers on about ALTs and ASTs, what they’re really talking about is two specific enzymes that multiply themselves after liver cells get attacked.

Here’s the scoop- to put it simply ALT (Alanine Aminotransferase) and AST (Aspartate aminotransferase) are molecules which exist in some degree within our blood; usually kept at low levels.
However – when something goes south for the chumps who need serious medical attention…these numbers will soar high above usual limits – meaning: big problems.

Some potential culprits for these elevated liver enzymes include:

Family Ties

  1. My beloved genes Don’t count those pesky relatives out just yet — Some folks have unfortunate DNA where their ‘factory’ works overtime with ALT/AST enzymes being produced without proper regulation leading to ‘fatty-liver-excess’, otherwise known as Non-Alcoholic fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) Thanks Mom

  2. Alcohol – I think you all knew this was coming :’(
    It shouldn’t seem like rocket science but please….please be advised that overdrinking strong spirits and knocking back bottles faster than attempting sobriety…attempts to cause severe harm overall health (including co-worker relationships)

  3. Food choices AND/OR other unhealthy habits: fried foods, cooked meats at higher temperatures used frequently breading substances/carbs/drinks laden in sugar-sigh…the list can go on….

  4. Some prescription Drug regimes side-effects are known for affecting livers before having received FDA approval (thanks again Mom) Anti-bodies and anti-inflammatory drugs may also lead toward unhappy results putting internal organs under attack from repair methods

  5. Hepatic infections such as Hep B & C no thanks

  6. Metabolic syndrome: a condition relating to increased glucose levels or obesity

Cosmic ‘Cause-and-Effect’

We do reside on planet earth…and well – the universe has ways of harmfully affecting us that we may not fully grasp ever.

  1. Cirrhosis – Inelegant way of saying years and years of liver damage takes its toll through scarring (fibrosis) leading ultimately toward Cirrhosis

  2. Hemochromatosis – Iron buildup within organs can lead to irreparable organ damage — So if you see your waiter carrying around a refrigerator magnet, maybe order something else…

  3. Wilson’s Syndrome-related copper buildups result in heavy metal poisoning potentially damaging several other systems beyond just our livers! Score!?

  4. Autoimmune hepatitis- the immune system doesn’t recognize good cells from bad cells causing it to attack itself and leaving HUMAN SYSTEMS all over the show damaged.

Treatments

Determining what causes elevated liver enzymes is important because it helps dictate treatment plans as time goes forward assuming certain problems aren’t terminal already.
It is possible even high ALT/AST counts can go back down eventually depending on lifestyle modifications if nothing worse lies underneath these symptoms.

A retrospective pathway delivers altering as needed such as:

  1. Diet advancements via nutritionists
  2. Reducing booze intake for some folks
    3.Medications (when related infections warrant short term immunosuppressive therapies to calm down raging autoimmune responses)

But let’s be honest…If you haven’t passed out yet looking at FDA drug inserts label warnings outlining associated health-risks AFTER potential benefits… you know there mustn’t exist any quick resolution left standing….

Final Thoughts

Elevated liver enzymes and disease isn’t anything most people want to deal with but knowing why they occur? Definitely worth investing brain-space into in order keeping primary filtering off unwanted molecules running smoothly.
At least for those who want “to avoid the guillotine” if nothing else…and THAT is one heck of an incentive.

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