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How To Repair Damaged Liver?
Question: Hello
I went to see my doctor for a blood test for my yearly physical. I was told to not eat for 6 hours. I went out for dinner and had 2 glasses of wine the night before but I did not eat for 6 hours prior. I drink in moderation, around 7-8 glasses of wine per week. I am a 47 yr old female. I exercise regularly and eat pretty healthy. When the test results came back my GGT levels were at 100! I did not realize my annual blood test included my liver and apparently they have been normal every year so I was never informed of any problems. I just cannot figure out why this happened so quickly. Now my liver iss apparently compromised I have stopped drinking until the test can be redone in 3 months. Is there anything else I can do to repair my liver?
I went to see my doctor for a blood test for my yearly physical. I was told to not eat for 6 hours. I went out for dinner and had 2 glasses of wine the night before but I did not eat for 6 hours prior. I drink in moderation, around 7-8 glasses of wine per week. I am a 47 yr old female. I exercise regularly and eat pretty healthy. When the test results came back my GGT levels were at 100! I did not realize my annual blood test included my liver and apparently they have been normal every year so I was never informed of any problems. I just cannot figure out why this happened so quickly. Now my liver iss apparently compromised I have stopped drinking until the test can be redone in 3 months. Is there anything else I can do to repair my liver?
Brief Answer:
No, there isn't
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
although the alcohol consumption you've mentioned is not high, females are more prone to liver damage by alcohol than males. So it is possible that the elevated liver enzyme levels are caused by alcohol.
This is not a certain diagnosis though and a repeat measurement is warranted. In an asymptomatic patient I would have asked for a repeat measurement within the next couple of weeks, just to make certain the enzymes don't rise to higher levels.
There are liver conditions that cause increased enzyme levels without symptoms. One common condition is taking drugs (particularly drugs for psychiatric conditions and cholesterol), taking various supplements (which may seem "safe" but sometimes cause liver damage), having non-infectious causes of hepatitis (like autoimmune hepatitis), tumors and (very common) being overweight or obese.
You can't do anything more than avoiding the aggravating factor be it alcohol or a supplement or a drug at this time.
An ultrasound scan of the liver will be very helpful, to determine whether anatomical structures are intact or not. Fatty liver, tumors, various infectious causes etc may appear in the scan.
I hope you find my answer helpful!
If you'd like further guidance, please contact me again.
Kind Regards!
No, there isn't
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
although the alcohol consumption you've mentioned is not high, females are more prone to liver damage by alcohol than males. So it is possible that the elevated liver enzyme levels are caused by alcohol.
This is not a certain diagnosis though and a repeat measurement is warranted. In an asymptomatic patient I would have asked for a repeat measurement within the next couple of weeks, just to make certain the enzymes don't rise to higher levels.
There are liver conditions that cause increased enzyme levels without symptoms. One common condition is taking drugs (particularly drugs for psychiatric conditions and cholesterol), taking various supplements (which may seem "safe" but sometimes cause liver damage), having non-infectious causes of hepatitis (like autoimmune hepatitis), tumors and (very common) being overweight or obese.
You can't do anything more than avoiding the aggravating factor be it alcohol or a supplement or a drug at this time.
An ultrasound scan of the liver will be very helpful, to determine whether anatomical structures are intact or not. Fatty liver, tumors, various infectious causes etc may appear in the scan.
I hope you find my answer helpful!
If you'd like further guidance, please contact me again.
Kind Regards!
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
Thanks for your reply. I did have an ultrasound and it came back normal. Perhaps I'll ask my Dr to repeat the test before the 3 months is up just to be sure.
Brief Answer:
that would be reassuring
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
a normal ultrasound usually excludes conditions like tumors, fatty liver etc that can be seen in an ultrasound scan.
After a normal scan, your main concern would be excluding liver damage by alcohol, drugs, supplements (if you take any) or autoimmune conditions.
Please note that even drugs used only a few times (like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for pain relief) can cause liver enzyme elevation, although the increased gamma-GT points to the alcohol consumption.
Kind Regards!
that would be reassuring
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
a normal ultrasound usually excludes conditions like tumors, fatty liver etc that can be seen in an ultrasound scan.
After a normal scan, your main concern would be excluding liver damage by alcohol, drugs, supplements (if you take any) or autoimmune conditions.
Please note that even drugs used only a few times (like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for pain relief) can cause liver enzyme elevation, although the increased gamma-GT points to the alcohol consumption.
Kind Regards!
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
I do have one more quick question. I have read that when your GGT tests high it has a 'half life' of 2 to 4 weeks so you need to wait at least that amount of time before being retested. When I went in for my initial blood work I was not told to refrain from alcohol and I had my tests right after New Years when I was drinking more than normal. I guess what I'm asking is why is it so important to abstain when you're being retested but not important when you're being tested initially.
Brief Answer:
For confirmation of the diagnosis
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
it's true that you need at least 4 weeks abstinence to achieve a better gGT level.
Initial tests should be done without changing anything from your ordinary daily routine, so that they would reflect your real health status.
Abstaining from alcohol would make gGT better (or normal), so this would be a confirmation of the alcoholic origin of its levels elevation. If other conditions had caused the elevation, then no improvement would probably be expected. This depends on the cause though, because certain liver conditions may cause fluctuating levels of liver enzymes.
Kind Regards!
For confirmation of the diagnosis
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
it's true that you need at least 4 weeks abstinence to achieve a better gGT level.
Initial tests should be done without changing anything from your ordinary daily routine, so that they would reflect your real health status.
Abstaining from alcohol would make gGT better (or normal), so this would be a confirmation of the alcoholic origin of its levels elevation. If other conditions had caused the elevation, then no improvement would probably be expected. This depends on the cause though, because certain liver conditions may cause fluctuating levels of liver enzymes.
Kind Regards!
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Vaishalee Punj
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