The liver is an important organ involved in the storage of sugars for the body's energy use. It also helps the body get rid of waste products and toxins, and manufactures proteins important in the body's immune response. When the liver is damaged, inflamed or injured, it causes an increase in the levels of its enzymes in the bloodstream.
Infection
Children can have an elevation of their liver enzymes if they have hepatitis, or an inflammation of the liver. According to Children's Memorial Hospital, children can have hepatitis from a number of viruses, including the hepatitis viruses, cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr -- the cause of infectious mononucleosis, or mono -- the varicella virus which causes chickenpox, and the herpes virus. According to Lab Tests Online, an elevation of the enzyme alanine aminotransferase, or ALT, is the best test to detect hepatitis. Other tests can detect the specific virus that causes the infection.
Inherited Conditions
Children can inherit conditions that can cause elevated liver enzymes. These conditions can cause both acute and chronic hepatitis. According to Lab Tests Online, hemochromatosis is the most common type of inherited hepatitis. Children with hemochromatosis absorb and store more iron than they need. The excess iron builds up in several organs, including the liver, causing liver damage and elevation of liver enzymes. Another common inherited condition in children is alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency. Alpha-1-antitrypsin is a protein that helps protect the lungs from injury. In this condition, the liver cannot produce normal alpha-1-antitrypsin. The abnormal protein accumulates in the liver, causing chronic liver damage. The lack of normal protein also predisposes the child to chronic lung damage in the form of emphysema.
Autoimmune Conditions
Autoimmune hepatitis refers to conditions in which the body mistakenly attacks the liver tissue as "foreign." According to the Cincinnati Children's Hospital, children with autoimmune hepatitis usually have other autoimmune conditions, like Graves' disease, which causes a hyperactive thyroid gland, and ulcerative colitis, which causes inflammation in the large intestine. Liver enzyme levels are elevated when the immune system damages the liver cells. Tests for autoantibodies -- proteins made by the body that attack tissue -- can help clarify the diagnosis.
