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Liver enzymes are elevated due to many causes, including fatty liver. Many people use fat-reducing drugs but encounter side effects such as elevated liver enzymes. So should you take fat loss pills when liver enzymes are high or not?
Liver enzymes play an important role in the body, in liver cells, liver enzymes are an enzyme involved in the metabolism of substances absorbed from the digestive system. You need to know there are the following liver enzymes:
Alanine transaminase (symbol ALT): In liver cells, the normal value is 20-40 UI/L. Aspartate transaminase (symbol AST): In hepatocytes, the normal value is 20-40 UI/L. Alkaline Phosphatase (symbol ALP): In the liver cell membrane, the normal value is 30 - 110 UI/L. Gamma - glutamyl transpeptidase (symbol GGT): In the cell wall of the bile duct, the normal value is 20-40 UI/L. When liver enzymes increase about 2 times above the normal value, it is called mild, from 2 to 5 times is moderate, higher than 5 times is considered severe.
1. Why are liver enzymes elevated?
Elevated liver enzymes are when liver cells are inflamed or damaged, shown by elevated ALT and AST levels, which may be due to disease. While GGT is increased, it is related to liver damage caused by beer and alcohol. There are many causes of liver cell damage, including:
Fatty liver: Too much fat accumulates in the liver causing fatty liver disease. Fatty liver can be caused by alcohol or not. Viral hepatitis: There are many viruses that cause hepatitis such as hepatitis A, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, etc. Liver enzymes are elevated when the virus invades and damages liver cells. Habit of drinking beer and alcohol: Regular use of alcohol and beer will destroy liver cells, affecting liver function. Then, depending on the amount used, the test results of liver enzymes will increase more or less. Biliary tract diseases: Cholecystitis, biliary tract infections, gallstones or cholangiocarcinomas, ... are diseases in the biliary tract that can increase liver enzymes. Cirrhosis: Untreated hepatitis leads to cirrhosis which is very dangerous. At this time, the liver enzyme index increased, liver coma, even liver cancer. Some other diseases and causes: Autoimmune hepatitis, iron overload, side effects of drugs, ... are other causes of increased liver enzymes, liver cell toxicity, cell metabolism. liver is affected. In some cases, liver enzymes do not rise but the liver is still damaged, such as hepatitis in hemodialysis patients or people with uremia.
Nhiều người sử dụng thuốc giảm mỡ nhưng gặp phải tác dụng phụ là làm men gan tăng cao
2. How does elevated liver enzymes affect health and life?
Elevated liver enzymes mean liver cells are damaged. At a mild level, elevated liver enzymes do not cause any symptoms and cannot be detected without testing. Therefore, if you continue to use alcohol, beer, stimulants or drugs that increase liver enzymes, it can increase the destruction of liver cells, leading to danger. In addition, if not detected and treated promptly, elevated liver enzymes can cause cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis and liver cancer.
On the other hand, liver enzymes also predict longevity, especially 2 indexes of AST and ALT, specifically:
AST increased by 2 times, the risk of death increased by 32%, increased more than 2 times, the risk of death increased by 32%. The risk of death can increase to 78%. A 2-fold increase in ALT increases the risk of death by 21%, and a more than 2-fold increase in the risk of death can increase to 59%. See now: Some unwanted effects when taking cholesterol-lowering drugs - blood fat-reducing drugs
Men gan tăng cao nghĩa là các tế bào gan đang bị tổn thương
3. Should you take fat-reducing pills when your liver enzymes are high?
For some patients with hyperlipidemia, high cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood, a blood lipid-lowering drug is indicated. This is one of the drugs that can increase liver enzymes, however, liver enzymes can also return to normal when the drug is stopped.
It should be known that in the body, the liver is the first organ to directly take in the absorbed nutrients as well as chemicals and then filter and eliminate unnecessary substances outside. Therefore, if liver cells are damaged, elevated liver enzymes should be paid attention to what to eat and drink, because the liver is the organ most susceptible to metastasis by cancers from other organs.
For hyperlipidemia, similar to metabolic and endocrine diseases, the treatment of hyperlipidemia requires attention to diet, exercise and medication use. In which, taking the drug should follow the order of priority. However, there is almost no drug that works absolutely without causing side effects. Therefore, if you are wondering whether to take blood lipid-lowering drugs when liver enzymes are elevated, you need to consider the benefits - harms before using.
Elevated liver enzymes are very dangerous to health and life. Therefore, the treatment of blood lipids with drugs should consider diet, exercise and the benefits - harms of using drugs to reduce blood lipids.
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