Ammonia

What To Think About

• Ammonia levels do not always reflect the severity of a person's symptoms. For example, a person with severe cirrhosis may have only slightly elevated blood ammonia levels and yet may not be thinking clearly or may be sleepy or in a coma. Other people with very high ammonia levels may think and act normally.
• Symptoms of a high ammonia level, such as confusion or extreme sleepiness, may be treated with a medicine called lactulose, a laxative that works by reducing ammonia production in the intestines.
• It is common for newborns to have slightly high levels of ammonia in their blood. But the levels are temporary and usually do not cause symptoms.

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Author:	Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS	Last Updated: January 2, 2008
Medical Review:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine Jerome B. Simon, MD, FRCPC, FACP - Gastroenterology
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