The Obvious Causes Of Elevated Liver Enzymes
Elevated liver enzymes are huge. Men, you'll find out about them from a blood test done for another reason! They're a huge, huge sign of liver damage and inflammation. The good news? Most of the time, they're mild and temporary. Win. You'll need more visits with your doc, though. They have to watch you closely and make sure your liver health's good!
Men, you know what's coming. The best treatment for elevated liver enzymes is down to the cause! When the pain meds triggered it, you've got to stop taking them when it's possible. Med adjustments are a huge, huge elevated liver enzyme treatment. You'll need nonalcoholic fatty liver disease treatment when it's warranted too, obviously. Men, heart surgery for heart failure's key as well. Weight loss for liver health is another huge one, you know that. Just understand the causes first!
Heart Failure
Heart failure's a huge, huge trigger for elevated liver enzymes. So huge! Men, you know about this one. It's when your heart can't pump the blood it needs to! Yes, it's chronic and worsens over time. Sad. You need constant treatment for heart failure. Men, you know the symptoms: shortness of breath, swelling, and fatigue! Other ones are fast, fast weight gain from retaining fluid, and lots of persistent coughing. You're also going to see your liver enzymes go up. Everyone knows that! Men, this happens because heart failure puts so much pressure on your liver. So much pressure. Men, keep your guard up on this. You're in an at-risk group! Your risk gets so, so high when you've got diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, or coronary artery disease too.
Men, your doc's going to diagnose this with many, many tests. The huge ones are CT scans, stress tests, and echocardiograms. Men, you'll find out about elevated liver enzymes through a blood test. Blood tests check your NT-proBNP levels! Men, you know you'll get meds for heart failure. Huge, huge ones are beta-blockers and diuretics! Surgery's an option too, like heart valve repair. The nasty cases? Things like ICDs and a heart transplant help you!
OTC Pain Meds
Men, you've taken OTC pain meds before; everyone has! Most of them have acetaminophen. It's very, very good at tackling pain. It even treats fevers. But there's bad news, men. Bad, bad news. OTC pain meds, especially when they've got acetaminophen, trigger liver damage. One of the results? Elevated liver enzymes, obviously! Men, your risk gets higher when you take this med for a long, long time. It also goes up, you know, when you take a high dose! That's why you've got to follow the directions on the bottle, unless your doc says otherwise.
Good recommendations? Only take OTC pain meds as long as you need them. Most docs say to only take them for 3 to 5 days. When anything goes longer, or gets worse, you know what to do. It's so obvious: call your doc! You know it: other OTC pain meds cause your liver enzymes to go up. Those examples are ibuprofen and naproxen. Men, talk to your doc! They'll help you pick the safest med, especially when you've got an underlying health condition related to your liver.
Statins
Statins are great, so great. These prescriptions tackle high cholesterol so well. So well! Men, you'll get one to lower your risk of a heart attack or stroke. They'll even reduce your risk of a second stroke or heart attack by 40%. What a huge, huge win! That said, hold your horses. Statins have side effects! The big ones are muscle weakness, abdominal pain, sleeping issues, bloating, and dizziness.
Obviously, statins cause elevated liver enzymes. Men, this one's rare. That's the good news! You'll get your risk low, so low, when you only take the smallest dose you need. Men, your doc's going to monitor you when you're on these meds too. They're your backup to stay safe! When your liver enzymes are only a little higher, you still take this med. But if they get even higher? Your doc's going to make a change!
Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease's another huge, huge cause of elevated liver enzymes. You know this one, men! It comes when fat cells build up a lot more than they should in your liver. You get this disease when you've got high blood sugar, high triglycerides, and insulin resistance. Other causes, men, are obesity, sleep apnea, high cholesterol, and metabolic syndrome. Sadly, this condition doesn't always give you symptoms you can see. YOur doc finds it from a blood test they do for something else! That's when you'll discover your liver enzymes are high.
Your doc confirms this disease with a liver biopsy, abdominal ultrasound, and a CT scan. Men, you'll need to lose weight with this one! Most docs say losing 10% of your weight is a huge, huge help. That said, you'll see things get so much better when you've lost 5%! You need to get control over this one. You'll end up with cirrhosis of the liver and need a liver transplant otherwise!
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A's a viral infection. Men, you know that; everyone does! It's going to hurt your liver function. You get this one by eating contaminated food or water. Contact with someone who already has it will give it to you too! You get symptoms a few weeks after contracting the virus. Men, you know the signs! The huge, huge ones are appetite loss, jaundice, upper right abdominal pain, dark pee, clay-colored poo, and severe, severe itching. And you know the last one: elevated liver enzymes. Blood tests show that to you!
Sad news. There's no treatment for this infection! You have to rest and wait. Obviously, avoiding alcohol is a big, big part of this. So big. Men, you have to prevent it. Get your hepatitis A vaccine before traveling anywhere that's high risk!