Should I be worried about abnormal liver results?
If your blood test showed high (elevated) levels of liver enzymes, you could have a medical condition. Elevated liver enzymes may also be temporary. Your provider can help you understand your results and what to do next.
How common are abnormal liver function tests?
The prevalence of abnormal LFTs depends on the definition and population but is likely to be between 10 and 20% in the general population. Abnormal LFTs are associated with a range of health outcomes but are not necessarily strongly diagnostic of severe liver pathology.
What happens if liver function test is high?
High levels in your blood could mean you have liver damage. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) test. ALP is an enzyme in your liver, bile ducts, and bone. You might have high levels if you have liver damage or disease, a blocked bile duct, or bone disease.
What is the most common cause of elevated liver function tests?
The most common cause of elevated liver enzymes is fatty liver disease. Research suggests that 25–51% of people with elevated liver enzymes have this condition. Other health conditions that typically cause elevated liver enzymes include: metabolic syndrome.
How to respond to abnormal liver function tests?
Liver enzymes can occasionally be raised owing to intercurrent illness, although when liver blood tests were repeated, 84% of tests remained abnormal on retesting after 1 month, and even at 2 years 75% remained abnormal.11 Thus, in a patient with abnormal liver blood tests it is not recommended to simply repeat the same panel of tests but to
What are the normal values in liver function tests?
Total Protein – It measures the total amount of protein present in the blood. The ideal level of total protein is 6.3 to 7.9 g/dL.
Is AST of 47 bad?
Specifically, a slight elevation to AST and ALT. For example, on a routine Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP), a woman will have an AST level of 54 U/L and an ALT level of 47 U/L. Both enzymes are slightly outside the normal range, but this often gets blown off by the primary care physician because the liver enzyme levels are not high enough to indicate major a concern.
What does an abnormal liver function test mean?
Your liver function tests can be abnormal because: Your liver is inflamed (for example, by infection, toxic substances like alcohol and some medicines, or by an immune condition). Your liver cells have been damaged (for example, by toxic substances, such as alcohol, paracetamol, poisons).