Increased Liver Enzymes

[DebE13]

Just got a call from my son's GI about his lab work. She wants schedule an ultra sound for him because his liver enzymes are considerably higher.
AST 191
ALT 408
GGT (I think that's what she said) 617

This has nothing to do with MC but I get very little explaination from them and everyone here knows their sh#&*

I'm actually very worried since he has PSC. Given how vague they were with his initial DX, I know I have to do the leg work on my own to figure things out for another disease that has no cure and not well understood.

Thanks for the help.

[Joefnh]

Hi Deb, I am sorry to hear that your son is dealing with health issues. Here is what I know about the liver tests and what I could find out about these tests. What I quote for the ranges is using a specific set of units IU/L (International Units per Liter) unless you know the units that your sons test were using i would not read too much into his number s being higher than the ranges quoted.

Overall though if his doctors office is concerned and they want to do an ultrasound they are most likely looking for an enlarged liver which sounds like they suspect a possible infection. Commonly various viruses like hepatitis can cause an increase in these numbers and with proper medical support can resolve on their own with no long lasting issues.


AST = Aspartate transaminase

This is an enzyme that is not totally specific to the liver but is used in conjunction with the other tests you mentioned to help judge the levels of potential liver damage. The normal range for a male is 8 - 40 IU/L


ALT = Alanine transaminase

This test helps to look for cellular injury of the liver and is a common test to look for sign of viral infection such as hepatitis. The normal range for a male is 10–50 IU/L


GGT = Gamma glutamyl transpeptidase

This is another enzyme that they monitor to look for potential liver damage, this is a very specific and sensitive test that responds to stresses of the liver even when any 'damage' is not an issue meaning it can be a false positive as its sensitivity is quite high. Like the other tests you mentioned its results are used in conjunction with the other results to help judge whats going on. The normal range for a male is 15-85 IU/L,


I hope your son feels better soon

[DebE13]

Hey Joe,

Thanks for the quick response and the detail. It'll help me to explain the numbers to my family and to my son.

[tex]

DebE,

I'm sorry to hear that his enzymes are elevated. I wish I knew more about this disease, but of course, no one knows much about it.

I do know that PSC is almost certainly an autoimmune disease, and my research shows that basically, all autoimmune disease is caused by inflammation that results from the degranulation of mast cells. In virtually all cases, those mast cells degranulate inappropriately, in response to the presence of either food-sensitivities, or drug-sensitivities, or both. IOW, IMO, diet may be critical in the control of PSC progression. Genetics predispose to the disease, and we have no control over genes, but the environmental factors can usually be controlled, and there's certainly a decent chance that this type of treatment may be effective.

Hopefully, this is just a transient response, and those enzymes will soon decline, again.



Tex

[DebE13]

Thanks Tex- I hope so too but the reality of the disease is grim. I've tried on numerous occassions to educate him about the effects of diet on his health and he still just laughs and says he's fine. The understanding may come in time and I pray it does. I feel like the lone preacher in the family because they don't really understand the importance of it all. I will keep giving him encouragement. Thanks for all your help.