Alt was 190 and ferratin 2390 how bad is

[Enver1]

my ALT was at 180 last july was 104 should I be worried?my Ferratin is 2390 Last July it was 1290. I dont drink, i dont smoke i am 47

[nash2 Partner]

Ferratin represents your iron stores. Those are high values and something you need to work with your doctors to understand. Along with the high ALT you have to wonder about the liver but it could be a variety of causes. Ideally you should try to see a hepatologist to get the best analysis of your liver risk but we can't really tell you much as your doc needs to look at your entire medical situation.

[Enver1 in reply to nash2]

Thanks

[grapewizard in reply to Enver1]

See, these are the perfect responses. We can tell you what our experiences have been, but you need to ask a doctor.

[TNWONDER]

Hi Enver1 - please don't take this the wrong way, but you really need to see a Hematologist (blood specialist) as soon as you can. I can tell you this because i have Hemochromatosis. That is a very high ferritin level which is certainly indicative for this disease. If you've been over 1,000 for an extended period of time, that means that you have toxic iron overload and your risk of cirrhosis increases exponentially. You need to get tested to see if you carry the C282y gene. If you carry 2 of these genes you are considered to be a homozygote for Hemochromatosis. At diagnosis my ferritin level was 660 but i only carry 1 c282y gene and 1 H63d gene so im considered to be a compound heterozygote which portends a milder case of hemochromatosis. The key to this disease is catching it early before it leads to end organ damage. Treating it is simple enough - phlebotomy (ie blood donation). So i go every 4 weeks. After only 2 phlebotomies, my ferritin has dropped from 660 down to 380. The target goal is to get it down to 50-100. Then i will likely only need to go 2 or 3x a year going forward. I've already had a fibroscan of my liver done which came back normal, but i do have a fatty liver which im addressing aggressively through a strict diet and exercise. With hemochromatosis you need to abstain from high iron foods such as red meat and stay away from iron fortified foods (ie cereal), alcohol and supplements. You should not ignore this. The time for action is now.

[Enver1 in reply to TNWONDER]

I did some test now waiting for results what is very funny my iron level is okay it’s only problem with A LT and the high ferritin Are they waiting for results as well for the gene But thank you very much for that advice

[isi123 in reply to Enver1]

The most important component of hemochromatosis is not iron, it is ferritin and transferrin saturation, iron may be at normal levels. I have liver damage from a similar situation.

[Rosebud1920]

Good afternoon, I realize your question was from a month ago and I hope you have gotten your answers by now, and are on your way to resolution. I know the below is long, but I hopefully it’s helpful to someone.

If you are still up in the air, maybe this information can help you or others with the same issues. And while I’m asking in question form, it doesn’t mean I’m totally expecting you to answer but more of things to think about. Some people, my self included, are open books, and others are more private. That said, without a decent amount of information, it makes it difficult for folks to respond in a helpful manner. For that matter, we could be telling you our experiences on something that has nothing to do with your situation, ultimately having you worried about a disease that doesn’t pertain to you. Most of us who have dealt with a disease(s) over a long period of time are very knowledgeable in our specific situation, but each person’s experience, even with the same disease, can be highly varied.

So I don’t see any information as to what your other conditions are (do you have liver disease, or a suggestion of it), or what your concerns are that sent you to this site. If I missed it, please excuse me, I’m new to the site and haven’t figured out all the in/outs yet. One high serum Alt doesn’t necessarily make for liver disease, or anything else, and I would think it also depends if it’s been considerably elevated (multiple x over normal range) over a period of time. Normal ALT levels are defined as 29 to 33 IU per L (0.48 to 0.55 μkat per L) for males and 19 to 25 IU per L (0.32 to 0.42 μkat per L) for females. Here is an interesting link from “American Family Physician” -“ Mildly Elevated Liver Transaminase Levels: Causes and Evaluation” that talks about these, what higher and lower numbers can mean, different diseases, but also what ratios between other liver enzymes might mean in terms of potential issues and moving forward. aafp.org/afp/2017/1201/p709...

The American Liver Foundation is another place to look.

Your ferritin levels are certainly high since normal levels are Men (24 to 336 micrograms per liter), and women (11 to 307). I’d be concerned too especially over this extended period of time. However, from a later comment, it sounds like your particular doctor is doing some other tests — you mentioned waiting for some other results and a gene test. Do you know what type of gene test or other testing. There are tens of thousands of gene tests available. Was it for Hemochromatosis or something else?

Were you having some symptoms that concerned the doctor about something in particular that caused him to check the Ferritin protein levels? What was his explanation for the extended period of high results, and his suggestion for moving forward? These days, most doctors give you a summary when you leave their office: did he diagnose you with anything new or list next steps? If he was a family type/internist, did he suggest you see a specialist and what kind. Is he moving forward but you just came here for support of others with the same type of results. People vary widely - from knowing nothing, new to internet and haven’t figured out how to look up information; to being concerned their doctor isn’t taking them serious, or isn’t doing anything; to having been diagnosed and are concerned, fearful, etc. and just want to hear how others are dealing with the whole bad situation.

This test is typically taken fasting and I’m assuming your’s was but it’s not a little elevated, it’s a whole lot elevated so I can understand your concern. It isn’t something doctors just do as a routine part of a physical, etc, they have a reason to look at it. As you can see from the below information, it could be something as simple as you are taking too much iron or too many iron supplements (multiple supplements that each add their own dose), along with eating way too much heavily iron fortified foods or super high amounts of beef. Based on today’s prices, I don’t know anyone who would be eating that much beef to cause those kinds of numbers. But with Keto diet rage, maybe so. It seems to me whoever pulled the test to begin with had a reason, those aren’t slightly elevated, and if run by the same doctor - they could see it’s been so over a long period of time. It certainly shows some wild swings but maybe those swings are normal even with normal ranges - that’s a question to ask your specialist. I don’t know if you have already checked the Mayo Clinic but here is the link for the below info (if the site allows links, not sure) and once there you can also check in some of the conditions listed as to whether any run with your symptoms what ever they may be. I see this site as more of a supportive one, we can tell you our experiences but you really need to talk to your doctor which you have probably done by now. But for anyone, we have to allow the doctor to determine the issue, or follow his directions, see specialists if he advises that route. Make sure they have your complete true prior history, including your family’s if you know it. Many of these diseases are very difficult to diagnose and in cases where a test result could be tied to numerous conditions, it becomes difficult to figure which to even start with particularly if other tests are basically normal. All that said - and I can’t stress this enough, if you have been patient and allowed a doctor to work through several scenarios and yet you still aren’t getting answers that alleviate your concerns — GET ANOTHER DOCTOR. If you have other specialists you have a good relationship with, make an appointment, take your basic test results, scans, whatever and talk to them to get their opinion. Not about whether the other doctor is wrong or right, or isn’t doing enough, but what would they do if this was their loved one, close friend, or themselves. Usually, they will give you a brief opinion, suggest someone to see, or hopefully, might run some tests of their own.

SERUM FERRITIN: According to Mayo Clinic (and other sources) and I want to copy their exact words: “Ferritin is a blood protein that contains iron. A ferritin test helps your doctor understand how much iron your body stores.

If a ferritin test reveals that your blood ferritin level is lower than normal, it indicates your body's iron stores are low and you have iron deficiency. As a result, you could be anemic. If a ferritin test shows higher than normal levels, it could indicate that you have a condition that causes your body to store too much iron. It could also point to liver disease, rheumatoid arthritis, other inflammatory conditions or hyperthyroidism. Some types of cancer also can cause your blood ferritin level to be high. A higher than normal ferritin level can be seen in several conditions. However, diagnosis of these conditions might require additional testing based on your symptoms and physical examination.

Hemochromatosis,

Porphyria — A group of disorders caused by an enzyme deficiency that affects your nervous system and skin,

Rheumatoid arthritis or another chronic inflammatory disorder,

Liver disease,

Hyperthyroidism,

Leukemia,

Hodgkin's lymphoma,

Multiple blood transfusions,

Alcohol abuse,

Taking too many iron supplements.”

From: mayoclinic.org/tests-proced...