Hey All

I have had elevated liver enzymes since my colon removal 10 years ago.

In 2003 I was tested for PSC (primary sclorosing colongitis) and it was negative. My bile ducts were fine.

I have monitored my enzymes over the years and in 2008 they were still elevated but a lot lower than they were in 2003.

My gastro doc says not to worry about it and that he sees lots of patients with IBD have elevated liver enzymes but I was just wondering if any of you have elevated liver enzymes.

I also have celiac disease that can cause high liver enzymes. Just seem like high liver enzymes can't be too good.

Scott

It depends on how high they are. Elevated liver enzymes are a sign of liver inflammation. The higher the levels, the greater the inflammation. I developed enzyme elevation (about three times the high end of normal range) about 5 years ago. PSC was ruled out by MRCP and the conclusion was that it was nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is one of the more common liver manifestations associated with UC. It is also associated with obesity. My levels gradually came down over the years and are currently normal. But, monitoring will still be necessary.

Anyway, you can get along just fine with modest liver enzyme elevations, even for a prolonged or indefinite period. You just need to monitor and avoid things that can damage the liver, like excessive alcohol intake, high doses of Tylenol, NSAIDs, and a few other drugs.

Since you know yours is probably related to your celiac disease, it is important that you follow your gluten free diet as closely as you can.

Jan

Hi Jan

Thanks for the response. I do take Aleve which I believe is a NSAID about two to three times a month for headaches. Would you consider that excessive?

Also what is considered modest elevated enzymes?

Here are mine

alakaline phosphate 151
gamma glutamyl transferase 523
ast 81
alt 89

They have come down since 2006 but I don't have a baseline for the GGT. From what I've read elevated GGT is linked to Celiac amongst other things.

I have been gluten free since June but I've heard it can take awhile for liver enzymes to go back to normal.

Thanks for any further info.

Scott

Normal ranges vary from lab to lab, so they should be included in your results. Anyway, your AST, ALT, and alkaline phosphatase are considered mild elevations. The GGT seems quite elevated, unless their standard is different than other labs. So you really need to know the lab's normal ranges.

http://arthritis.about.com/od/.../liverbloodtests.htm

Regarding the NSAIDs, occasional use should not be much to worry about. When I first had my elevated enzymes, I was taking high doses for a prolonged period for my arthritis.

Jan