Liver function tests, a group of blood tests that measure certain enzymes and proteins in your blood, may reveal you have high liver enzymes, reports the Mayo Clinic. These tests generally evaluate enzyme levels that include alanine transaminase, or ALT, aspartate transaminase, or AST, and alkaline phosphatase, or ALP. There is a long list of diseases and conditions that can cause elevated liver enzymes, some of which are more likely than others to be present in teenagers.
Infectious Mononucleosis
Infectious mononucleosis, or mono, is a virus transmitted through saliva. According to MedlinePlus, mono, or the kissing disease, often occurs in adolescents, most often in those ages 15 to 17. Like many viruses, mono can cause elevated liver enzymes, says the Mayo Clinic. Symptoms of mono include fatigue, sore throat, fever and swollen lymph nodes and tonsils, reports MedlinePlus. Liver enzyme levels return to normal once the body fights off the infection.
Obesity
According to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 16 percent to 33 percent of children and adolescents are obese. Obesity is one of the more common causes of elevated liver enzymes, reports the Mayo Clinic. Obesity is also a risk factor for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, another condition that can cause elevations in liver enzymes. Weight loss may help your liver to function normally again.
Medications
Many medications, specifically over-the-counter pain medications, may elevate liver enzymes in teenagers. This includes acetaminophen, or Tylenol, says the Mayo Clinic. If you are experiencing high liver enzyme levels while taking pain medication, stopping the medication and having another blood test may help you determine if this is the cause. You should also alert your doctor to the fact that you are taking pain medications before having a liver function test.
Hepatitis
The Mayo Clinic reports that hepatitis A, B, C and autoimmune hepatitis can all cause elevated liver enzymes. Unless you are a teenager living with someone with this disease, or travel to areas where this disease is present, you most likely do not have hepatitis A or B. Most teenagers do not have hepatitis C unless they are born to a mother with the disease. Intravenous drug use is a risk factor for these three forms of hepatitis. Autoimmune hepatitis, however, occurs more commonly in women, primarily young girls, and its cause is unknown. It may also result in elevated liver enzymes.
