High plasma ammonia means that ammonia in the blood is elevated due to physiologic or pathologic reasons, and it is recommended to speculate on the possible causes together with other test results.
Plasma ammonia is produced by amino acid deamination during protein metabolism, glutamine catabolism by the kidneys, and bacterial action in the intestinal tract. High plasma ammonia generally refers to elevated blood ammonia, and the normal range for blood ammonia is 18-72 μmol/L. Physiologic elevation of plasma ammonia generally refers to elevated blood ammonia.
Physiologic elevation of blood ammonia is usually seen when eating a high-protein diet or exercising, and generally healthy people are able to excrete excess ammonia, so there is no need to worry too much.
Pathological elevation of plasma ammonia is usually seen in severe liver injury, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, uremia, etc. These causes increase the production of ammonia or can not be eliminated, which is extremely dangerous for the patient because ammonia may enter the brain and affect the nervous system, resulting in hepatic encephalopathy, renal encephalopathy and so on.
It is therefore advisable to seek medical attention for a complete workup of the plasma ammonia to identify the specific cause of the disease.