How do elevated liver enzymes affect liver function?

Elevated liver enzymes are a warning sign of poor liver function. However, most people still do not really understand this condition. Knowing the knowledge about high liver enzymes will help us know how to prevent and treat the disease effectively.

There are four types of liver enzymes: Alanine Transaminase (ALT), Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP), Aspartate Transaminase (AST) and Gamma Glutamyl Transpeptidase (GGT). In which, 2 enzymes ALT and AST are present in liver cells. The other two liver enzymes, ALP, are present in the hepatocyte membrane and GGT is present in the bile duct cell wall.
When liver cells die due to aging, some liver enzymes are released into the blood at concentrations below 40UI/L. Normal liver enzymes have indicators such as: ALT: 20 - 40 UI/L, AST: 20 - 40 UI/L, ALP: 30 - 110 UI/L, GGT: 20 - 40 UI/L. When these values ​​are measured higher than normal, it is called elevated liver enzymes. Elevated liver enzymes are often the result of liver cell damage caused by viruses, alcohol, the effects of fever-reducing, pain-relieving drugs, blood-fat-lowering drugs,...

High liver enzymes warn that liver cells are damaged, liver is inflamed. However, if liver enzymes are slightly elevated (less than 2 times), the patient has almost no symptoms. And in fact, it is the unclear manifestation of the disease that makes the patient subjective, not going to the doctor, but still drinking alcohol, smoking, ... normally.
These bad habits will cause more serious harm to the liver because the toxic acetaldehyde produced when using beer and alcohol will destroy a series of liver cells, leading to acute hepatitis, liver coma. Even high liver enzymes, if left untreated, can lead to life-threatening complications such as chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer.
High levels of AST and ALT in liver enzymes also predict an increase in mortality from 21 to 78%. Specifically, if the AST index doubled, the risk of death increased by 32%, more than doubled the risk of death up to 78%. When the ALT level is doubled, the risk of death is 21%, and if it is more than doubled, the risk is 59%.

High liver enzymes is a very dangerous disease that can lead to many unpredictable complications, so you should avoid it as soon as possible. Depending on the cause of the increase in liver enzymes, doctors may advise us to follow the following requirements:
Minimize or completely eliminate the habit of smoking, drinking alcohol. At the same time, you should stay away from processed, high-fat and sugary foods because they will put a burden on the liver. Red meat, oils and hot spices are also foods you need to limit your consumption because they can adversely affect the liver.

Drink enough water, eat plenty of foods rich in antioxidants, fiber. Check with your doctor before taking medications that can damage your liver. Use herbal teas such as milk thistle, dandelion, ... to reduce inflammation and stimulate liver cells to recover quickly. Should maintain a reasonable rest, exercise gently, do not stay up late and should not do heavy work too much. However, at the time of partying, sometimes the use of alcohol is unavoidable. If you can't refuse, just drink a little alcohol and eat more vegetables at the party. At the same time, if you have a history of elevated liver enzymes, you should regularly go for tests and check liver enzymes to have appropriate prevention and treatment directions.
Actively going to a liver function test at reputable medical facilities is the most effective way to detect liver problems at the earliest, especially with diseases with few symptoms such as high liver enzymes.