What should your enzymes be in your liver

Enzymes are proteins found in your body that speed up certain chemical reactions. Liver enzymes perform these jobs within the liver. When your provider looks at the results from your blood tests, AST and ALT values are higher than normal if your liver is damaged. The damage to the liver can come from viruses, such as the hepatitis C virus, over-the-counter drugs, and prescription and street drugs. If your provider starts you on a certain medication, they may need to monitor your blood chemistries to make sure the medication is not causing further harm to your liver.

Medical conditions such as hepatitis swelling of the liver , nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, the metabolic syndrome, and alcoholic liver disease are the more common causes. Certain medicines can also cause elevated liver enzymes. Your doctor will ask you questions and examine you to try to find out why your enzymes are elevated.

He or she may do another blood test to make sure the results weren't wrong. If these tests are also positive, your doctor will do other tests to find out what is causing the problem. Treatment depends on what is causing your liver enzymes to be elevated. If your doctor thinks you have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease or the metabolic syndrome, you will need to watch your diet, stop drinking alcohol, lose weight, and control your cholesterol.

If your liver enzymes are still elevated after six months, your doctor may do more blood tests or an ultrasound. He or she also might want you to see another doctor who specializes in the digestive system. This doctor will check for other causes and may also do a liver biopsy. Already a member or subscriber? Log in. Interested in AAFP membership? Learn more. This handout is provided to you by your family doctor and the American Academy of Family Physicians.

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Liver enzymes are substances produced by the liver that can be measured with a blood test. Any elevation in an enzyme level may be a sign of a liver problem. Aspartate aminotransferase AST and alanine aminotransferase ALT are two of the enzymes doctors look at when trying to figure out if you have a problem with your liver.

Aminotransferases are chemicals that the liver uses to make glycogen. Glycogen is the stored form of glucose , the sugar that the body uses for energy. Any glucose not immediately used will be changed into glycogen.

It is then stored in cells for future use. Most will be stored in the liver. The leftover amount will be warehoused in the:. Aspartate aminotransferase AST is found in a variety of tissues, including the liver, brain, pancreas , heart, kidneys , lungs, and skeletal muscles.

If any of these tissues are damaged, AST will be released into the bloodstream. While increased AST levels are signs of a tissue injury, it doesn't always relate to the liver. By contrast, alanine aminotransferase ALT is found mainly in the liver. If your ALT level is high, this may be a sign of a liver injury.

It could be minor or severe. Occasional increases in ALT may occur when you have a short-term infection or illness. Sustained increases are more serious. That's because this may mean there's an underlying disease and a greater chance of liver damage. The normal levels vary based on a person's body mass index BMI It also depends on the lab's reference value, or typical results.

Generally speaking, the normal reference value for adults is:. The high end of the reference range is referred to as the upper limit of normal ULN. This number is used to establish how elevated your liver enzymes are. Mild elevations are generally considered to be two to three times the ULN. With some liver diseases, the level can be more than 50 times the ULN. Levels this high are described as deranged. While it may seem that a high ALT is all that is needed to diagnose liver disease, its relationship to AST can provide valuable clues as to what exactly is going on.

It will also tell you whether the issue is acute occurring suddenly and progressing rapidly or chronic long-standing or persistent. If the liver experiences an acute injury, you can expect to see a sudden spike in the ALT. On the other hand, if liver disease is slowly progressing, the damage in the liver will gradually affect other organs too. As these organs are damaged, the AST will begin to rise.