What Does It Mean If Your Liver Enzymes Are High

Doctors use a blood test to check for elevated liver.

The elevation in ast and alt observed in this condition tends to be mild and may even be missed. Elevated liver enzymes are a sign that a person has an inflamed or damaged liver. High levels of liver enzymes and other chemicals in the blood might mean that you have hepatitis liver disease or cirrhosis. Elevated liver enzymes often indicate inflammation or damage to cells in the liver.

Many conditions may cause liver inflammation or damage. Elevated liver enzymes indicate damage or inflammation to the liver cells. Signs of hepatitis include stools that are pale in color fatigue pain or swelling in the abdomen and jaundice. Very high liver enzyme levels indicate more serious chronic conditions and diseases including hepatitis a hepatitis b hepatitis c cirrhosis jaundice liver cancer and chronic liver disease.

Inflamed or injured liver cells leak higher than normal amounts of certain chemicals including liver enzymes into the bloodstream elevating liver enzymes on blood tests.