LymeNet Flash: positive for Lyme- negative for hepatitis

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»	LymeNet Flash » Questions and Discussion » Medical Questions » positive for Lyme- negative for hepatitis

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Topic: positive for Lyme- negative for hepatitis

bcerq
Member
Member # 24043

posted

For the past two weeks I have been unable to eat or function due to nausea and vomiting.

My lyme doctor did extensive blood testing and my liver enzymes were very high.

AST = 65 normal range 15 - 37
ALT = 165 normal range 30- 54
C Reactive protein=20.7 normal 0.0-9.0

My doctor tested me for hepatitis and since it came back negative he is saying it is ok to start my start my antibiotics (Doxyl) and restart my arthritis medicines.

Lyme is still showing as active in my blood work.

I am still unable to function without taking nausea medication.

Does it make sense that this doctor would have me start antibiotics without knowing what is causing my liver enzymes to be so high?

Posts: 24 | From whippany | Registered: Jan 2010 | IP: Logged |

TF
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 14183

posted

Maybe this is the answer:

Regarding AST and ALT,
"these liver enzymes do not give an indication of the function of the liver. Sometimes they are mistakenly referred to as �liver function tests� or LFTs, but it is a misnomer commonly used even by most physicians."

And...
"Mild to moderate elevations of the liver enzymes are commonplace. They are often unexpectedly encountered on routine blood screening tests in otherwise healthy individuals. The AST and ALT levels in such cases are usually between twice the upper limits of normal and several hundred units/liter.

One of the most common cause of mild to moderate elevations of these liver tests is a condition called fatty liver. In the United States, the most frequent cause of fatty liver is alcohol abuse. Other causes of fatty liver include diabetes mellitus and obesity."

http://www.medicinenet.com/liver_blood_tests/page2.htm

After this is a long list of medications (including over-the-counter meds like aspirin, Tylenol, and Advil) that can cause high levels of AST and ALT. Why not read the entire article and see if you feel better about it.

Posts: 9931 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2007 | IP: Logged |

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