what can cause liver enzymes to be elevated?
By Mayo Clinic Staff. Elevated liver enzymes may indicate inflammation or damage to cells in the liver. Inflamed or injured liver cells leak higher than normal amounts of certain chemicals, including liver enzymes, into the bloodstream, which can result in elevated liver enzymes on blood tests. The specific elevated liver enzymes most commonly found are: Alanine transaminase (ALT) Aspartate transaminase (AST)
A recent study indicates that the most common cause of chronic liver disease in the United States is now NAFLD.In the setting of obesity with other elements of the metabolic syndrome, the cause of the elevated enzymes could reasonably be assumed to be fatty liver.