What to do if transaminase is high during pregnancy

The pregnancy period is the key protection period of the family, so naturally people are more concerned about physical conditioning and changes in the body. Expectant mothers during pregnancy often encounter high transaminase levels. This situation includes many types. Generally, drugs should not be used indiscriminately in treatment. In addition, due to pregnancy, drug treatment is even more prohibited. Several principles should be followed, and conditioning should be carried out according to the course of treatment. When necessary, judgment should be made based on physical conditions.

Treatment attention

At present, there are many kinds of liver-protecting and enzyme-lowering drugs, but there are few truly effective ones. They must not be abused during the treatment process. It is necessary to find the real cause of the increased transaminase and treat it accordingly to achieve better results. Patients should follow the following three principles during treatment and medication:

1. Choose correct and effective liver-protecting and enzyme-lowering drugs to treat elevated transaminase levels caused by various causes. Effective drugs are mainly traditional Chinese medicines and extracts of their active ingredients. Generally, drugs containing chemical ingredients such as schisandra chinensis C, glycyrrhizic acid, oleanolic acid, and silymarin are selected. As long as patients use enzyme-lowering drugs correctly, transaminases can be effectively controlled.

2. The course of treatment must be guaranteed. When enzyme-lowering drugs restore transaminase to normal, the dosage of enzyme-lowering drugs should be gradually reduced, and sudden discontinuation of the drug should be avoided. The course of treatment with enzyme-lowering drugs should be more than 1 year, and even if liver function returns to normal, consolidation treatment should be maintained at the lowest level.

3. While protecting the liver and reducing enzymes, it is necessary to take "fundamental" measures to address the cause of the disease. In short, in order to solve the problem of high transaminase levels, we must find out the reasons and prescribe the right medicine to achieve results.

How high is considered

There are two types of serum transaminases: alanine aminotransferase (ALT) which exists in the cytoplasm of liver cells, and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) which exists in the mitochondria of liver cells. Generally speaking, the normal range for both transaminases is 0-40 IU/L.

Elevated ALT activity indicates clinical onset, which often rises rapidly and then falls slowly. Alanine aminotransferase ALT is generally more than ten to dozens of times higher than the normal upper limit. ALT values ​​indicate the degree of inflammatory activity and are not significantly correlated with the management of tissue destruction.

Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) reflects the damage to the mitochondria of liver cells and can better explain the degree of damage to liver tissue. When the value of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) is higher than that of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), you should be alert to severe or chronic hepatitis.

We usually divide the increase of transaminase into three levels:

1. Less than 120 IU/L is called mild transaminase elevation;

2. A level between 120-400 IU/L is called moderate transaminase elevation;

3. A level greater than 400 IU/L is called severe transaminase elevation.

If the transaminase exceeds the normal range, the doctor will recommend another re-examination. However, even if it is high, the condition cannot be simply judged by the degree of increase in the transaminase (ALT). Other indicators reflecting liver function (such as serum bilirubin, cholesterase, albumin, etc.) and the results of liver, gallbladder and spleen B-ultrasound examinations must be combined to comprehensively determine the degree of liver damage. Because in severe hepatitis, there may be fewer surviving liver cells and very little transaminase released into the blood, ALT decreases as the disease worsens, while serum bilirubin continues to rise, resulting in enzyme-bile dissociation. In some people with cirrhosis, liver function tests may be normal.