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Diagnosed With Fatty Liver. Reports Show ALT Is 60 And AST Is 44. Should I Be Worried?

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Posted on Wed, 3 Jul 2013
Question: I have been diagnosed with a fatty liver. A year ago my ALT and AST were 20 U/L. both considered normal. This year, my ALT is 60 and AST,44. Should I be worried? I am having an ultrasound this week. YYYY@YYYY I also just returned from a vacartion in Cabo, Mexico and drank a lot.
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Answered by Dr. Jorge Brenes-Salazar (17 minutes later)
Dear patient,

Thanks for your your health concerns. i believe that indeed it is important to pay attention to the trend of the enzymes. Now there is evidence of hepatitis, meaning some degree (low level) of inflammation of the liver. Having fatty liver, you should avoid all liver toxins, the most common ones being alcohol and acetaminophen. The elevation in the enzymes might also be related to the recent alcohol ingestion in large amounts. The best course will likely be to abstain from liver toxins, and repeat AST and ALT levels in a few weeks (4-6) and then determine the course of action. If you have fatty liver, weight loss of 8-10% of body weight has shown to improve this condition, as well as exercise and Vitamin E in some studies (eg. PIVENS trial in NEJM).

Yours truly,

Dr Brenes Salazar MD
Mayo Clinic MN
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Dr. Jorge Brenes-Salazar

Cardiologist

Practicing since :2007

Answered : 1198 Questions

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Diagnosed With Fatty Liver. Reports Show ALT Is 60 And AST Is 44. Should I Be Worried?

Dear patient,

Thanks for your your health concerns. i believe that indeed it is important to pay attention to the trend of the enzymes. Now there is evidence of hepatitis, meaning some degree (low level) of inflammation of the liver. Having fatty liver, you should avoid all liver toxins, the most common ones being alcohol and acetaminophen. The elevation in the enzymes might also be related to the recent alcohol ingestion in large amounts. The best course will likely be to abstain from liver toxins, and repeat AST and ALT levels in a few weeks (4-6) and then determine the course of action. If you have fatty liver, weight loss of 8-10% of body weight has shown to improve this condition, as well as exercise and Vitamin E in some studies (eg. PIVENS trial in NEJM).

Yours truly,

Dr Brenes Salazar MD
Mayo Clinic MN