Why Elevated Alt Liver Enzyme After All Of These Years?

[knowurgluten]

Hi,

I am 44 yrs old. I have celiac sprue and have had elevated liver enzymes on and off for over 12 years.

I thought it was due to celiac but I've been gluten free for 7 years except found out a few months back that I was consuming a product regularly with gluten arrgghhh...when I was told it was gluten-free:(

ALT 87 and should be mid 40's. I saw a liver specialist years ago and he didn't really have an answer and since they had gone back down when seeing him, he discharged me and didn't feel I needed follow up.

But, I read all of these horrific things about chronic ALT values.

I haven't had a drink in 20 years and back then it was maybe 5 in my whole life.

I used to take a lot of tylenol for headaches but now take it maybe 20 times a year.

I was tested for A,B,C Hep and all negative. Fatty liver negative. Doctor said I had hepatitis of unknown etiology.

My cholesterol is elevated by about 40 points and my LDL is off a little too.

I don't sleep well at night.

I am only 130 lbs.

I eat little meat but was eating a lot of peanut butter.

I eat NO gluten and haven't for awhile now. I have checked all meds, lip gloss, and only eat something if it says gluten-free on the package.

I have stomach issues still, and 2 new lumps in my breast that are hopefully just fibrocystic.

My questions.

Why in the world is my liver inflammed?

I have no clue why this is...can someone please help me figure this out?

Thank you so much. I appreciate any help at all.

[trents]

I don't have an answer for you but I have a question: Do you have any recent records of total protein/albumin levels? After years of undiagnosed celiac disease and elevated alt/ast levels my total protein/albumin levels are chronically below normal even though I have been gluten free for about 6 years and my liver enzymes returned to normal range within 3 months of going off gluten. I'm just wondering if I had already done irreparable damage to my liver by then. The liver makes albumin and other serum proteins.

[knowurgluten]

I don't have an answer for you but I have a question: Do you have any recent records of total protein/albumin levels? After years of undiagnosed celiac disease and elevated alt/ast levels my total protein/albumin levels are chronically below normal even though I have been gluten free for about 6 years and my liver enzymes returned to normal range within 3 months of going off gluten. I'm just wondering if I had already done irreparable damage to my liver by then. The liver makes albumin and other serum proteins.

I will let you know if that is on my labs when I get my copy. I am assuming my protein was fine because my doctor read the abnormal ones to me on the phone tonight.

The liver can heal itself and so if you are not a heavy drinker or don't have hepatitis, most peoples liver recovers from what I understand.

I just wonder if mine is mercury poison. I have mercury fillings and so I am looking into detoxing with chlorella for that.

Anyone else detox mercury out of your system before?

[knowurgluten]

I just ran onto these links

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

So perhaps I was getting gluten from those vitamins and it's only been several months...so a year my liver should improve with a total gluten-free diet. what do you all think?

[trents]

Yeah, I'd seen that first linked article by Dr. Reich several years ago.

What is your age? The latest research suggests there is usually not good recovery of the flattened villi after about age 35 even when people go gluten free. Have you had a repeat biopsy since going gluten free? I had one in April afte 5+ years of concientous gluten free living and was dismayed to find there was still inflamation and villi blunting. I am wondering if I have refractory sprue.

Costco Kirkland Signature brand vitamins are gluten free.

[ranger]

My liver enzymes were slightly elevated and doc ordered a liver biopsy. Had I been more aware, I would have refused the test, but at the time I pretty much blindly followed. Next day had to go to hospital for a chest e-ray because I was coughing up blood. Turns out he missed the liver and took a biopsy of lung tissue. I'll never blindly follow again.

[trents]

My liver enzymes were slightly elevated and doc ordered a liver biopsy. Had I been more aware, I would have refused the test, but at the time I pretty much blindly followed. Next day had to go to hospital for a chest e-ray because I was coughing up blood. Turns out he missed the liver and took a biopsy of lung tissue. I'll never blindly follow again.

That's a terrible experience! Doc had a bad aim, huh?

Actually, even if he had not missed the liver, bleeding is one of the dangers with a liver biopsy. There's lots of blood supply to the liver.

[noglut4me]

My liver enzymes were slightly elevated and doc ordered a liver biopsy. Had I been more aware, I would have refused the test, but at the time I pretty much blindly followed. Next day had to go to hospital for a chest e-ray because I was coughing up blood. Turns out he missed the liver and took a biopsy of lung tissue. I'll never blindly follow again.

Oh my gosh, that is horrible! are you okay now?

What were your liver enzymes at?

[Brooklyn528]

Hello! I know that your post was from some time ago, but i really wanted to say something. I was diagnosed with celiac disease in 1/09 My enzymes were elevated at that time. They consistently stayed that way, and i was determined to find out why. After being gluten-free until 8/09 and still elevated LFT's, I went to a GI doctor who agreed that they were not elevated by celiac disease. He ran the gammit of liver test. I came back negative for the hepatitis panel, but further down on the copy they faxed to me he had circled my antinucleic antibody level, which was extremely high, put a check mark next to it, and wrote Autoimmune Hepatitis. From there, I had a liver biopsy done on Sept 14th, it came back on Sept 24th as severe hepatitis with bridging necrosis. I was absolutely horrified. I have started treatment and have a referral to a hepatologist, but it will be touch and go for a while.

I would like you to let me know how you are doing and if you had found anything out. Are you being treated for your hepatitis, with what?

Thanks, hope to help