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Diarrhea, Stomach Problems, Loss Of Appetite. Blood Work Shows Low Potassium, Elevated Liver Enzymes. Causes?
My husband recently had an incident of diarrhea for a week. He thought it was a flu bug. He continued having trouble with his stomach and had no appetite. he is 34 and in generally good health. His md ordered some bloodwork which revealed a low potassium level and elevated liver enzymes . He said they normally should be 60 and his were around 130. He still isn t feeling 100%. They did order a ultrasound of liver and more bloodwork. any idea of cause / diagnosis
Mon, 24 Sep 2012
Hi brackens140,
Interpretation of laboratory test can be difficult without having the full report and the actual numbers. However let me tell you that every time I see elevated potassium together with elevated liver enzymes in a generally healthy person makes me think of a "hemolyzed" blood sample, meaning that the blood sample is not good, since the red blood cells have been broken down giving a wrong laboratory result. This can happen if the blood sample was not appropriately taken, if it was not stored at the correct temperature, if it remained too long in the lab before getting tested, etc.
So my suggestion would be to repeat the blood test to confirm or rule out the abnormalities.
Interpretation of laboratory test can be difficult without having the full report and the actual numbers. However let me tell you that every time I see elevated potassium together with elevated liver enzymes in a generally healthy person makes me think of a "hemolyzed" blood sample, meaning that the blood sample is not good, since the red blood cells have been broken down giving a wrong laboratory result. This can happen if the blood sample was not appropriately taken, if it was not stored at the correct temperature, if it remained too long in the lab before getting tested, etc.
So my suggestion would be to repeat the blood test to confirm or rule out the abnormalities.
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