Liver Enzymes, Itching, Hypothyroid..celiac?

[RainierGirl]

I am hypothyroid and have slightly elevated ALT AST liver enzymes on and off for a couple years and I have been having generalized itching/burning skin that comes and goes all over different areas especially my upper back and stomach for the past 2 years now but is starting to happen every day for the past 2 weeks. I sometimes have dry throat and cough. I have an appointment with my Gastro doctor but they can't get me in for another month. I tested negative for hepatitis and abd ultrasound looked good last year, so I was wondering if these symptoms could be celiac? I am hoping that's what it is and not some serious liver disease.

[nasalady]

I am hypothyroid and have slightly elevated ALT AST liver enzymes on and off for a couple years and I have been having generalized itching/burning skin that comes and goes all over different areas especially my upper back and stomach for the past 2 years now but is starting to happen every day for the past 2 weeks. I sometimes have dry throat and cough. I have an appointment with my Gastro doctor but they can't get me in for another month. I tested negative for hepatitis and abd ultrasound looked good last year, so I was wondering if these symptoms could be celiac? I am hoping that's what it is and not some serious liver disease.

Hi and welcome!

Sorry about the circumstances that bring you here, though.

Yes, it's very common to have thyroid issues with celiac disease. Please be aware that if you do have celiac disease, you're far more likely to have or develop other autoimmune diseases as well. Lots of us have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis or Graves Disease, which are both autoimmune diseases of the thyroid and have been found to be closely linked to celiac disease.

As to liver problems, you can definitely have slightly elevated liver enzymes with celiac disease alone. But when you say you "tested negative for hepatitis", do you mean viral hepatitis (such as Hep A, B, C, D, E), or did your doctor run other tests as well? There are lots of different kinds of hepatitis...including an autoimmune kind (which I have). In autoimmune liver disease, your immune system creates antibodies that attack your liver. Did your doctor test you for those antibodies (ANA, ASMA, or anti-LKM)?

If you're having itching without a rash, it could be related to the liver....but do you have a rash when you itch? If so, does it look like blisters and does it turn purple when it heals? That could be dermatitis herpetiformis, the "celiac disease of the skin".

There are actually lots of skin problems associated with celiac disease; celiacs frequently have psoriasis, eczema, and/or keratosis pilaris, among other things.

Also, you should know that if you're planning to have blood testing done for celiac disease, please continue to eat gluten-y foods such as wheat breads and pastas (and lots of them!), until AFTER your tests are done. If your doctor is planning to biopsy your small intestine, you must eat gluten until after that procedure is done as well.

There's plenty of time to start the gluten free diet afterwards....and maybe you will want to try it even if all of your tests come back negative. After all, false negatives seem to be quite common, and it can't hurt to find out if the gluten free diet helps you feel better!

In any case, I wish you the best of luck at getting to the bottom of your issues! Please let us know what happens!

JoAnn

[Nawa]

On September 12, 2009 at 11:12 PM, RainierGirl said:

I am hypothyroid and have slightly elevated ALT AST liver enzymes on and off for a couple years and I have been having generalized itching/burning skin that comes and goes all over different areas especially my upper back and stomach for the past 2 years now but is starting to happen every day for the past 2 weeks. I sometimes have dry throat and cough. I have an appointment with my Gastro doctor but they can't get me in for another month. I tested negative for hepatitis and abd ultrasound looked good last year, so I was wondering if these symptoms could be celiac? I am hoping that's what it is and not some serious liver disease.

I have the same symptoms but I don't have rush just bad itching all over my body specially when I eat food contain a small amount of fat , even a drop of oil . 

I'm on a strict diet to help my liver being strong and not tired from digesting the fat , even though I still have ithing every night .

my doctor told me if the enzymes keep elevated he will do the biopsy , I'm very nervous I want to know what is wrong with my liver ,I had lots and lots of blood tests ,they did not find any disease !

I hope you will feel good soon and find out what is going on with your liver