Could taking iron tablets raise alt?
It depends. The only time iron tables would lead to a liver pathology is if a) the body can’t properly regulate the amount of iron in the body, such as in the inherited disorder of hemochromatosis, or b) you overdose on the iron tablets. In hemochromatosis, the body has the inability of getting rid of excess iron, and this causes the liver to amass too much of it. Because excess iron is toxic to the liver, it leads to liver cell death, thus scaring (cirrhosis). Because of liver damage, serum ALanine aminoTransferase (ALT) will increase. But if you’re normal, no, normal dosages of iron tablets shouldn’t increase your ALT. However, if you do overdose on iron tablets one time only, then expect little to no reversible liver damage. If you chronically overdose on the other hand, then expect some cirrhosis, and slight elevation of ALT. If you have hemochromatosis and you overdose on iron tablets, then expect a really high spike in ALT.
