High liver enzymes

[Stephb01604]

I had a partial nephrectomy in 2011 to remove a cancerous tumor. Since then I've been battling nerve damage in my right leg. It has taken 2 years to get the correct cocktail of medications that have allowed me to return to work. I've recently been experiencing some issues, 2 days ago my feet and calves were so swollen I had to go to the ER, they did a cardiovascular ultrasound and there was not a blood clot. My dr prescribed a diuretic and it has helped the swelling, but the throbbing sensation hasn't fully gone away. They did blood tests and everything looked good except my liver enzymes were high, AST/SGOT 54
ALT/SGPT 88

What does this mean, should I be concerned?

[Jak_]

High liver enzymes can be caused by many things. High levels of ALT and AST can be a sign of hepatitis. After several years of high liver enzymes my doctor decided to check me for Hep C and it was positive. The Hepatitis community on the MedHelp forum is very active with very knowledgeable people who will answer post quickly.

[Brockovitch]

The results you have posted are not particularly high and are likely not a source of concern at this time. They are probably a result of medications you are taking since almost all medications are processed by the liver and often cause the enzymes to increase, though the increase is usually temporary. From your description, you are probably on some pain medications which often have a profound effect on the liver.

However, go back to your doctor in a month or so and have the liver tests checked again - hopefully in circumstances where you are not continuing to take the medications. If the enzymes remain at the same level, or increase, I would ask your doctor to run lab tests to ensure that there isn't a concern that there is new tumour activity.