A patient has the following results: ALB: 10 mol/L; AST: 120 U/L; ALT: 100 U/L; CHE: 1500 U/L. What is the suspected diagnosis?

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Multiple Choice

A patient has the following results: ALB: 10 mol/L; AST: 120 U/L; ALT: 100 U/L; CHE: 1500 U/L. What is the suspected diagnosis?

The test pattern is about distinguishing types of liver injury by enzyme and synthetic function signals. Here, the transaminases are elevated (AST and ALT), which points to hepatocellular injury because cells within the liver are damaged and leak these enzymes into the blood. The very low albumin indicates impaired liver synthetic function, which often accompanies more sustained liver damage over time. Cholestatic disease would mainly show a rise in markers of bile flow blockage, like alkaline phosphatase and bilirubin, rather than a primary rise in transaminases. Alcoholic liver disease tends to produce an AST-predominant pattern, with AST roughly twice ALT; that pattern isn’t clearly present here, so the profile doesn’t fit the classic alcoholic pattern. Portal hypertension without liver injury wouldn’t explain the transaminase elevations and the low albumin. Taken together, the findings best support hepatocellular liver damage.

The test pattern is about distinguishing types of liver injury by enzyme and synthetic function signals. Here, the transaminases are elevated (AST and ALT), which points to hepatocellular injury because cells within the liver are damaged and leak these enzymes into the blood. The very low albumin indicates impaired liver synthetic function, which often accompanies more sustained liver damage over time.

Cholestatic disease would mainly show a rise in markers of bile flow blockage, like alkaline phosphatase and bilirubin, rather than a primary rise in transaminases. Alcoholic liver disease tends to produce an AST-predominant pattern, with AST roughly twice ALT; that pattern isn’t clearly present here, so the profile doesn’t fit the classic alcoholic pattern. Portal hypertension without liver injury wouldn’t explain the transaminase elevations and the low albumin.

Taken together, the findings best support hepatocellular liver damage.

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