Liver disfuntion

[Rose-Pawl]

  Does gallbaldder removal indicate Liver problems? Is it not correct that a Lab report with ggt of 168 and sgpt of 54 indicates Liver disfuntion. Does cirrohsis come to mind with high GGT? I do not smoke or drink but have taken a large amount of Ibuprofin for Arthritic Knee and ankle problems years ago of which problem no longer exist.
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Dear Rose Pawl:
Gall bladder removal does not mean that the patient has cirrhosis or any liver disease.  Most patients with gall bladder surgery have normal livers.
With mildly elevated GGT (166) and SGPT (54) is suggestive of mild inflammation in the liver.  The possible causes include viral infection of the liver (viral hepatitis), autoimmune liver disease (liver disease caused by self immune system), alcoholic liver disease, drug induced liver disease, and fatty liver.  One can not draw any conclusions regarding the presence of cirrhosis on the basis of the liver tests that you had done.  We know that random liver tests correlate very poorly with the extent of liver damage.
To identify the cause of your abnormal liver enzyme tests, additional studies would be needed.  An ultrtasound of the liver, hepatitis B and c serologies, ANA, anti smooth muscle antibody are needed.  If you are post menopausal, you will require iron studies.  Sometimes, a liver biopsy is necessary to identify the cause of the inflammation.
Large amount of Ibuprofen can cause acute liver cell damage but usually does not cause chronic liver disease.  Since you stopped taking Ibuprofen years ago, it is unlikely that Ibuprofen is the cause of your abnormal liver enzymes.
In general, many liver diseases can progress to cirrhosis, but not everyone who has liver disease progresses to cirrhosis.  Some people may have develop cirrhosis in a few year while others may never develop cirrhosis.
You should see your physician for additional testing.  If you wish a second opinion, we would be happy to see you in the Division of gastroenterology of Henry Ford Health System.  You can arrange an appoinment by calling our Physician Referral Line at [phone].
This information is presented for educational purposes only.  Always ask specific questions to your personal physician.
HFHSM.D.-jg
*keywords: liver tests, chronic liver disease, cirrhosis
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