I just posted this in my journal, but gonna re post it here hoping that someone can shed some light on this from the fitness point of view

PS. I have never taken any steroids, so that cannot be the cause

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9:50am (Airport in Warsaw, flying to Barcelona)
Well..... whole last night i spent in hospital. I got the tests re-done and they came back the same. Some liver enzymes are very, very high. We are talking one is 10 times and the other one like 25 times, not percent... TIMES higher.
All other tests are perfect.
So basically I was told that my liver is fucked, i have some serious problem, well...liver damage....so im totally freaking out.
They told me that I shouldnt be going anywhere, they wanted to keep me in the hospital.
The good part was that i had ultrasound done by some good doctor and he said that everything looks good. The liver looks perfect, kidneys too, all other organs too. Nothing enlarged, nothing out of ordinary.
I got some medication to protect my liver, which im taking.
The strange part is that Im feeling PERFECT. No pain, nothing. They said that with results like that I would be feeling something.
But the results were done by 2 different labs.
The doctors were shocked when they saw the numbers
I was told to follow high protein, low fat diet, so when i told them what im eating, they said its perfect.
No coffee though.
I dont know, might be viral..... Hep B test came back negative. More tests are gonna be ready today.

I'd probably need to know which enzymes to have a shot at finding an explanation.

If it helps ease your mind any - a friend of mine who is a diabetic was told liver enzymes are expected to be out of wack if you're on a high protein diet. He's healthy and fine - but every time they do his tests the doctor freaks and runs battery after battery of tests on him - but have never found anything conclusive wrong with him. She tells him to stay off the high protein diet - he ignores her. Been going on for at least three years I've known him now.

I'd probably need to know which enzymes to have a shot at finding an explanation.

ASPAT was 313 and the limit is 31
ALAT was 770 according to the first test and 860 to the second. Limit also 31

The Hep C results I will have next week, Hep B like I said came back negative and also they ruled out cancer

I was also thinking. I just started eating meat (chicken and turkey) I have been eating fish for the last year... could that be the reason?

If it helps ease your mind any - a friend of mine who is a diabetic was told liver enzymes are expected to be out of wack if you're on a high protein diet. He's healthy and fine - but every time they do his tests the doctor freaks and runs battery after battery of tests on him - but have never found anything conclusive wrong with him. She tells him to stay off the high protein diet - he ignores her. Been going on for at least three years I've known him now.

thank you!! ufff... every optimistic bit of information really helps

I posted in your journal about my story. I beleive that my results were in the 225 once and 195 when they retested. I cannot remember which ALAT/ASAT it was.

When I stopped working out, it dropped from 195 to 161. That dropped occured over the course of three days. That was enough of a drop for me to determine that it was my workouts that caused the spike. At the time, I was doing a type of workout to failure with every set. Additionally, my protein levels were high, but my diet was never an issue with the doctor.

Wow....that is scary. How did they discover the problem? Did you go in to the hospital because you were symptomatic? Or, did they discover the problem via routine blood test?

I'm not a doctor, but I've never heard of high protein diets causing liver damage......seems strange.

Wow....that is scary. How did they discover the problem? Did you go in to the hospital because you were symptomatic? Or, did they discover the problem via routine blood test?

I'm not a doctor, but I've never heard of high protein diets causing liver damage......seems strange.

No, it was a routine test for a birth control perscription. For that they check the liver. So the liver enzyme levels came back way too high, so he told me to go to the hospital to have it re-checked by different lab and told me to do more tests.
I have NO simptoms, feel great.....never felt better to be honest.... very strange.

Im repeating myself, but also the ultrasound came back great (they checked also the kidneys, stomach, pancreas, everything totally normal)

No, it was a routine test for a birth control perscription. For that they check the liver. So the liver enzyme levels came back way too high, so he told me to go to the hospital to have it re-checked by different lab and told me to do more tests.
I have NO simptoms, feel great.....never felt better to be honest.... very strange.

Im repeating myself, but also the ultrasound came back great (they checked also the kidneys, stomach, pancreas, everything totally normal)

Well, good luck. I hope it all turns out OK for you. Hopefully, as was the case for Banditfist, it turns out to be nothing big.

Well, good luck. I hope it all turns out OK for you. Hopefully, as was the case for Banditfist, it turns out to be nothing big.

Thanks Joe.... thank you all for all the support, I really appreciate it :bow:

It looks like you have a lot of people here thinking of you and wishing you the best.

It looks like you have a lot of people here thinking of you and wishing you the best.

I know.... Im very lucky :D

Had you ever had a similar test done in the past? Any sort of baseline to measure it up against?

My wife had some elevated liver enzymes for a while and the tests kept coming back fine, then elevated. They eventually thought she had a "fatty liver" (hepatic steatosis?). This went on for years.

Anyway, it turns out it's probably gallstones in her case.

So even though it can seem terrifying at first, and the doctors can be confused for a long time, it might not be that serious.

Had you ever had a similar test done in the past? Any sort of baseline to measure it up against?

I should have, but Im not sure.
I asked the doctor in Poland. He said it is a standard test over there if someone considers birth control pills.
I had been using the pill for years, just recently (1 year ago) stopped.
But I had them perscribed always in Canada and Im not sure how detailed the tests are over there (no private health care there available, so you know how that goes)
In Poland I went to a private clinic, so you get anything you pay for and fast ;)

My wife had some elevated liver enzymes for a while and the tests kept coming back fine, then elevated. They eventually thought she had a "fatty liver" (hepatic steatosis?). This went on for years.

Anyway, it turns out it's probably gallstones in her case.

So even though it can seem terrifying at first, and the doctors can be confused for a long time, it might not be that serious.

Thanks Zenpharaohs! Im also starting to think that it must me something else, especially after the ultrasound I had done which came back totally perfect :confused:

I have abnormal levels also from my liver tests. ALT was 103. AST was 43. I am also asymtomatic. I don't drink. The doc says I may have fatty liver, which according to Mayo clinic article I read could be due to high cholestrol, metabolic state. It is time to lose the fat and drop the weight. I am going in for Hepatitis testing. Praying for negative tests. Will also be getting an ultrasound. I hope drinking protein shakes won't cause any issues. I need to check with my doctor on them.

Before you read the rest of my reply here, just remember that i'm just guessing and that your doctor knows best.

ALT and AST are 2 enzymes stored in liver cells. When the cells become damaged or their cell walls become "leaky" (ie, from inflammation or damage), these enzymes are "leaked" into the bloodstream, therefore the elevated ALT/AST levels. Compared to GGT, AST and ALT elevations in blood are less sensitive to transient minor attacks (e.g., if you drink a lot one night, GGT may be elevated but AST/ALT remain ok). The elevations of few hundreds are not consistent with acute viral infections (hepatitis) or even acute exascerbations of chronic hepatitis (usually the numbers are in the 1000's). If your bilirubin and alkaline phosphatase levels are normal, then your liver is likely suffering from chronic injury (viral, drugs/medications - tylenol, etc., and rarely other toxins). Ultrasound will not show you anything unless you have tumors/cysts, etc in your level - ultrasound does not show you liver "damage".

Well, I think the amount of elevation into few hundreds definitely warrant further investigation and minimizing any potential hepatotoxic medications/alcohol/etc.

Good luck.

Agree with Barber - get it checked out more thoroughly. There are also some genetic conditions associated with liver damage, e.g. hemochromatosis (iron overload). Check with family members re: any history of liver disease. Strenuous exercise can increase the transaminases (ALT and AST), though unlikely to get that high.
Definitely calls for a systematic approach.

Before you read the rest of my reply here, just remember that i'm just guessing and that your doctor knows best.

http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?p=445726#post445726