Slight rise in ALT

[dragonslayer]

Hi guys!!  Been awhile.  Since SVR 5 years ago, my ALT has been consistently in  the upper teens to mid 20s.. This last sunday, I went to the ER for some palpitations that were scaring me, possibly precipitated by a week of explosive diarrhea probably contracted in Mexico while on vacation the week before.  At any rate, the blood work showed a rise in ALT to  45..  The lab range for ALT goes from 10-55 so im still normal, and AST and ALP were both mid normal.  Ive been on 5mg of Crestor since October..  Is my rise in ALT at all concerning?   

[Lynn K]

Hey nice to hear from you Happy New year sorry about the travelers diarrhea.

Well normal is normal so I wouldn't worry about it. Over the last year my ALT has become elevated out of normal range. Scale is 0 to 32 My result was 38. My hepatologist attributes it to fatty liver as my current BMI is 30.1 basically I need to lose about 40 lbs to be in normal range about 20% of my current weight.

Anyway if your carrying extra body fat that can easily account for an increase in ALT

Glad to hear from you happy five years Hep c free!

[dragonslayer]

Thanks for replying, Lynn.. Youve been a stalwart member of the forum for longer than I can remember and obviously have helped out hundreds on their paths to freedom.  I put on about 6 lbs in Cancun over Christmas.   Im not overweight at 5'9" 167 lbs, but something caused it to go up..  I was in a shear panic with palpitations which drove me to the ER..My BP at home just before I went was an explosive 167 (normally 120/70).  Then a week of Montezuma's Revenge upon returning home might have messed with my levels causing dehydration.. I dont know.. Since the other enzymes are still in mid normal range I guess there's nothing to worry about.

What really freaked me out earlier in the year was a liver cyst in my left lobe they found incidentally. The cyst was labeled 'complex' and 'septated'.. However a year later, it appeared to be stable, and luckily is no longer a concern.

Well, thats all for now. .stay well.. Good luck and SVR to everyody!

[Mugwump]

My doc has not bothered to order enzymes in the past year I guess I am due. I have an MRI to completely rule out the male curse coming up on the 15 and my BMI is about the same as Lynn's. The problem is that most likely the male curse has made it hard for me to lose weight. Testosterone elevated and a series of digital (as in finger) exams was the trigger for my doc to put me on generic flow max. PSA all normal though...tough wood!!!!!!


Getting old sucks!
Cheers and great to see you are still reading the forum Paul.
Eric

[Lynn K]

Humm just got my six month blood test results. Fasting glucose at 104. Max normal is 100. Anything higher indicates pre-diabetes. Guess I need to definitely lose some weight.

Good news, platelet count slightly up at 127 hella better than pre treatment 85 and PTT down slightly to 11.0 was 11.4 still is the same INR of 1.1 but I’ll take good news where I can find it. INR 1.1 is high normal but it causes my MELD to be 7 instead of 6.

[Mugwump]

Great to hear that your blood will clot fairly normally and more banding does not look to be in the cards Lynn!


Here is the real kicker for me. The spike in testosterone I have undergone since being free from HCV has left me built like a mountain gorilla! My doc actually asked me if I was taking it!!!! WTF. Like being accused of alcoholism because your liver is going down the tubes largely because of chronic HCV infection. GRRRR... Been there.


After reassurances to him that I was not trying to become an clone of Arnold S. OR a become a poster boy for the WWF [size=78%].[/size]


The high readings have settled down somewhat but are still in the high normal, instead of 1.5 to 2 times over normal as they were all last year. Thank the guy up stairs that my PSA has consistently read low normal. My doc speculates that it may very well be something messing with my pituitary gland. So off to another specialist.


I seem to suffer from the Extra Hepatic Manifestations of having been infected with HCV more than most other people. Here is hoping that this settles down and soon because having too high a level of testosterone in the blood is certainly not a good thing for human health.


Take a break and go fishing Lynn. I would but in some cases getting to a good fishing spot might require a bulldozer here on Van Isle!


Keep your stick on the ice!
Eric