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Hepatitis C (Expert Forum)
alcoholic hepatitis and elevated enzyme counts
Questions posted in the Hepatitis C Forum are answered by medical professionals from The Mount Sinai Medical Center.
alcoholic hepatitis and elevated enzyme counts
by James__0, Apr 21, 1999 12:00AM
Posted by James on April 21, 1999 at 23:05:51
i have recently been diagnosed with alcoholic hepatitis and have had two LFTs. the doctors seem to be puzzled over the fac that certain enzyme counts have gone up. The results of the first LFT show a alk phos count of 266 and the secong 700. the SGPT (ALT) was 85 then 209 (also please explain what SGPT is) and the third that has gone up is SGOT (AST) which was 45 and now 123. they asked me about bone trauma, which i have not had any, and also if i have quit drinking, which it has been 34 days. i am concerned as to what this actually means. i am also a vegetarian, could this have something to do with it? oh...albumin has also gone up some, from 3.3 to 3.7. please help with some explanations as to why this would be and if i should be concerned about this.
Posted by HFHSM.D.-D.M. on April 25, 1999 at 16:05:08
Dear James:
I appreciate your questions. Interpreting liver enzymes can be complicated and really involves integrating a great deal more information that I can get through Medhelp. But I’ll try to answer some of you specific questions and I’ll try to make some general comments. I think you should be concerned without being frightened. It is not normal to have the liver numbers you do and you will want to figure out why you have abnormal liver enzymes and what needs to be done about it.
Much of your concern is that you alkaline phosphatase is elevated and is going up. This is not the typical enzyme that goes up with alcoholic liver disease especially after you have stopped drinking. You and your physicians may wish to entertain the possibility of another cause of your elevated liver enzymes.
Alkaline phosphatase is made by several organs aside from the liver. Bone is a common source and that’s why your physicians asked if you had had trauma to the bone. There are a couple of ways of sorting this out. Your physicians could ask for a second blood test called the GGT. If the alk phos goes up and it is from the liver, usually the GGT goes up as well. Secondly they can ask the lab to “fractionate” the alk phos to see which specific organ it is coming from.
Typically when the alk phos and GGT go up, they imply there is liver disease that is affecting bile flow and this is typically not the pattern we see with alcoholic liver disease. We often do different blood tests and an ultrasound to sort this out. We also avoid any medications that can cause this process. I doubt this problem is related to being a vegetarian. However, you will want to avoid any unusual herbs or preparations. By the way, the albumin going up is actually a good sign. A high albumin is good.
I hope this information is helpful to you. If you have additional questions or more information, feel free to post the material back to MEDHELP or you are always welcome to contact us directly at Henry Ford at (313) 916-8865. If you are in the Detroit area, you are always welcome to come see us. We have an active group of liver specialists (hepatologists).
This response is being provided for general informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice or consultation. Always check with your personal physician when you have a question pertaining to your health.
I hope this information is helpful to you.
