How do blood test determine liver function?

Question

My Doctor had my blood drawn for testing. He said that my liver enzymes were high. How dangerous is this? Could it be normal for me? I have a friend who's temperature runs higher than 98.6, he has an overactive thyroid. He can eat what he wants, and all he wants, and not gain a pound!!! If I even look at a picture of a big pizza I put on 5 pounds, God I hate him. But in all seriously could my liver enzymes just run higher than normal? Could all of the Tylenol I take for my back pain cause this liver condition? I have heard that Tylenol isn't as safe as the public has been led to believe.

First of all thanks, all of the answers were well thought out, and I have learned a lot. I don't drink alcohol, the medication regiment I am on, put my beer drinking days behinding me.When you are taking drugs like Remeron, Klonopin, and Neurontin, drinking even 1 beer can leave you feeling very uncomfortable. I don't use illegal drugs, haven't smoked in 8 years. I am however 68 pounds over my ideal body weight. I have also been taking, Tylenol# 3 with codeine, 3 times a day for a year now. I suspect it's the Tylenol that has my liver "out of wack", and I have stoped taking it. I think Tylenol is far more dangerous than people have been led to believe,however Tylenol has became as American as apple pie. Tylenol is in some 60+ different over the counter cold, and flu medicines, if it is a liver toxin, getting it off the shelves, will require a Congressional mandate.

Answer 1

Your liver is the bloods filter. It's functionality can be determined through a blood directed test,

Answer 2

It depends. You could have a fatty liver and that causes liver enzymes to be high. As in having a fatty diet and not eating healthy and being overweight.
You could have a bad gallbladder or a stone in a duct around the liver. This can cause your liver enzymes to become elevated.
In this case it would be resolved after having your gallbladder removed and the stone flushed out. This can be diagnosed with a CAT scan of the abdomen, an MRI of the biliary system, or a HIDA scan. All of these are done in Radiology departments anywhere.
Also, the most worrisome, but certainly not to be excluded, has your doctor tested you for hepatitis. If you would have Hepatitis A you have possibly been out of the country and ate foods that weren't clean, drank dirty water without knowing it, etc. It can be cured.
If you have Hepatitis B, it is the most contagious form. Mostly found in healthcare workers who have routine exposure to other people's blood and have stuck themselves with a dirty needle. If you have tattoos or piercings that were done at a less than sanitary place this could be a consideration. Any risky sexual activity could expose you I believe.
Hep. B and C are relatively the same. Although C is less contagious and you can live with it and take meds.
Hope I have helped. Good luck and good health!

Answer 3

well.lets start from the begining:as u asked

how dangerous is elevated enzyme level?

well it depends on which enzyme is elevated,like for example some enzymes cal reaveal the ur lipogenesis(fat formation) is elveted,some reveal, how iis ur liver detoxifying harmful materials

could it be normal for u?

well dont panic even if the enzyme activity level is raised now, it will retun to normal after sometime, coz that a reversible process.

ur friend does get pounds but u get them ?

see dear actually that is in the genes which determines how much pounds u det after eatinga certain level of fat.so u cant help that ,stop worrying abt that.look into the things which u can change

is there any ill effesct of TYLENOL on liver function?

yes dear TYLENOL(acetaminophen) is one of the analgesics(pain killers) which severly impairs liver function if taken in excess.its prolonged use is never adviced.

MY ADVICE:
- stop TYLENOL now
- QUIT DRINKING
-take vitamin C regularly
-drink a lot of water

good luck

Answer 4

Elevated liver enzymes are not normal and yes, it can be a dangerous situation. Also, Tylenol is not good for your liver and can cause liver to fail. You should only take it if you're really in need of pain relief and only under supervision of your physician. Anyways, try to stay off of Tylenol and see if a repeat blood test is looking better.

Answer 5

Blood tests to determine 1)serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase SGOT 2)serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase SGPT- are useful. Higher readings indicate that an active liver disease exists. Tylenol may /may not be the cause. 3)increased direct serum bilirubin indicates temporary damage to liver cells 4)increased indirect serum bilirubin indicates obstruction to bile flow and 5) reversed serum albumin globulin ratio speaks about liver damage ie somewhat chronic. If tylenol is the cause discontinuance of it for three weeks should bring back all readings to normal.

Answer 6

A blood test can detect elevated levels of trigycerides, an enzime secreted by the liver. It can result from drinking alcohol, eating lots of fatty foods, taking certain medications, etc. It's OK to have elevated TGs occasionally, but it can be an indicator of a more serious problem if they're really high, and/or they stay high.

Answer 7

1

Answer 8

Yes blood can be used to determine a lot of things

Answer 9

where is the question that was not already answered by a doctor?

Answer 10

http://chetday.com/tylenoldanger.htm