ALT liver function test is 297. What’s wrong with me?

[BackAgainSlimLady]

Please someone out my mind at rest, this seems extremely high but the GP hasn’t contacted me back. I’ve just seen the results on my app.

I am extremely scared now and have to wait all weekend to ring and make an appointment.

Please give me some reassurance I’m in the edge of tears I’m so scared.

What are your other liver function tests like? ALP, GGT if they’ve done it, sometimes they do a ratio of ALT and ALP.

My liver function tests were all in that range (200-300) when I was drinking heavily. It’s still pretty low for permanent damage (people with cirrhosis, for example, have results in the 2000-3000 or more range). I stopped drinking and it was normal again in 4 weeks.

They can also go a bit funny post-infection especially if you are dehydrated. I’m receiving cancer treatment and have mine tested monthly. My ALP was recently 280 and oncologist wasn’t too worried as I’d recently had a rather bad flu like infection for several weeks.

Why did they do the tests to begin with?

Why were you having the test? What symptoms led to it?

Oh this immediately put me at ease.

I’ve just gotten over flu (still feel a bit funky but much, much better) so perhaps that played a part! I am also a big drinker (or was a few weeks ago but decided to get healthier and stop drinking for my MH).

I knew I drank too much, but I didn’t realise I drank enough to actually cause this; I know that sounds massively stupid but I’m in my 20’s and I’m not a go-out drinker.. just a wine/beer at home drinker so I thought I was safer than most my age 😂

everything else was in the normal range; just my ALT abnormal. Has lots of other blood tests at the same time which have all come back as normal too (currently having some digestive issues investigated which they believe is IBS but having tests to rule everything else out)

Digestive issues. They think IBS, possibles IBD or celiac. But they said IBS can’t be diagnosed as such; so the only way to ‘diagnose’ IBS is to rule out everything else it could be.

Mine went up after I pulled my back and had to take quite large doses of ibuprofen for a while. The GP repeated the test after a few weeks and it was back to normal. If it's any reassurance when my step dad's blood test suggested he had a serious problem with his liver he got a call saying go straight to A and E. And after treatment he is fully recovered.