[Elevated liver enzymes of unknown etiology].

Elevated liver enzymes are a frequent clinical problem of varying significance. In otherwise healthy individuals the most frequent causes of elevated liver enzymes are toxins such as alcohol and drugs. In this situation, further studies are usually not needed; it is sufficient to control the relevant parameters after abstinence from alcohol or withdrawal of the drug(s). In patients with known, suspected or unknown nonhepatic diseases, elevated liver enzymes can be caused by cardiovascular diseases, obesity, endocrinopathies, infectious diseases, malignancies, collagen disorders, sarcoidosis and other diseases. In this situation, sonography or liver histology frequently will be diagnostic, revealing the cause of the underlying disease as well as of the elevated liver enzymes.