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OT: Liver Inflamation

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THERAC

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Oct 25, 2006
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I have been having inflammation over a long period of time in my liver and the Dr. cannot seem to figure out where it is coming from. He ruled out viruses, diet, and alcohol intake as the cause (I rarely drink). I have had many blood test and an ultrasound done. I am headed back to the Dr. soon to eliminate other things.

Anyone have experience with this and can share some insight ?
 
RUfubar_rivals

RUfubar_rivals

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Mar 1, 2007
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most common cause these days in US is called "fatty liver"....treat first with diet, exercise, cholesterol lowering drugs
ps- you won't necessarily see it on ultrasound....ct or mri are better and biopsy the best
 
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Anon1654767511

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THERAC said:
I have been having inflammation over a long period of time in my liver and the Dr. cannot seem to figure out where it is coming from. He ruled out viruses, diet, and alcohol intake as the cause (I rarely drink). I have had many blood test and an ultrasound done. I am headed back to the Dr. soon to eliminate other things.

Anyone have experience with this and can share some insight ?
Click to expand...


Could be an autoimmune disorder where the body’s immune system is attacking liver cells because it cannot tell the difference between harmful invaders and healthy liver tissue. I would run that possibility past your doctor.
 
AntiG

AntiG

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If its fatty liver, the first step is cutting out sugar (white carbs like pasta, rice, bread, pastries, cakes, sweets, chips) and the second step is exercise. The only way to fix a fatty liver is to lose weight and have less sugar intake. Sugars are what makes people fat, because any excess gets stored as fat in the body.
 
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TM514

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Nov 6, 2006
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I've read some literature suggests that high GGT enzyme (in total non drinkers) can be an early indicator of Diabetes.

Standard blood tests no longer analyze GGT enzyme (LabCorp doesnt) so your Dr has to request a GGT analysis.
 
RUfubar_rivals

RUfubar_rivals

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Mar 1, 2007
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no, we don't use actigal for fatty liver in reality (though you will find literature re its use).
Metformin yes...occasionally some glitazones like actos
 
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RUfubar_rivals

RUfubar_rivals

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we use ggtp to indicate drinkers and to differentiate when alk phos is up..whether it is from bone or liver.diabetics get fatty liver it is true - that is why some meds are used for insulin resistance like metformin.
 
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RU89

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LocalDC said:
often overlooked is iron storage...check that hemoglobin and ferritin are not high
gluten intolerance also common cause
Click to expand...

This could very well be the cause. Iron overload or the medical term Hemochromotosis, is a very under diagnosed disease. Hi iron levels can be very dangerous. Ask your doctor to run the following blood tests to confirm.

How to Get Tested for Hemochromatosis
Many patients who suspect they might have iron overload or who have family members who have been diagnosed can share their concerns with the physicians and ask them to run an iron panel. A complete iron panel typically includes:

  1. Ferritin
  2. Transferrin Saturation %
  3. Serum Iron
  4. TIBC/UIBC
The good news is that although the disease can be very dangerous it is easy to stay on top of and control by simply getting phlebotomies to keep iron levels low.
 
R

RUschool

Heisman
Jan 23, 2004
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RU89 said:
This could very well be the cause. Iron overload or the medical term Hemochromotosis, is a very under diagnosed disease. Hi iron levels can be very dangerous. Ask your doctor to run the following blood tests to confirm.

How to Get Tested for Hemochromatosis
Many patients who suspect they might have iron overload or who have family members who have been diagnosed can share their concerns with the physicians and ask them to run an iron panel. A complete iron panel typically includes:

  1. Ferritin
  2. Transferrin Saturation %
  3. Serum Iron
  4. TIBC/UIBC
The good news is that although the disease can be very dangerous it is easy to stay on top of and control by simply getting phlebotomies to keep iron levels low.
Click to expand...
I believe a friend of mine has this problem. Has too much iron in the blood and needs to have a blood transfusion regularly.
 
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RU89

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rutgersdave said:
I believe a friend of mine has this problem. Has too much iron in the blood and needs to have a blood transfusion regularly.
Click to expand...
I actually have the disease but to control it I simply give blood just as you would at the Red Cross. Doing that every few months keeps the iron in check and all is ok. Problem with this disease however is that there are typically no symptoms till damage, even serious damage is done. That's why the above test is so important.
 
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HeyHuey

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Were you tested for Hep C? Have a biopsy done in the last 5 years? How is your
bilirubin....chronically elevated?
 
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PSUTony

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May 29, 2001
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Interesting Subject as I just reviewed the Global NASH Conference London UK, Feb2018 notes.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a condition in which fat builds up in your liver. Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a type of NAFLD....

Genetically I'm sure there are multiple root-causes; however, clinically this has not been achieved. Theory is right now focused on reducing inflammation and not around resolving the root causes, yet. To be honest this is a clinical ticking time bomb given the change in our modern diet and the links with diabetes. With the rate of diabetes increasing the rate of NAFLD/NASH is expected to explode in the next ~10 years.
 
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RUfubar_rivals

RUfubar_rivals

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Mar 1, 2007
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PSUTony said:
actually biopsies were found to be clinically inconsistent and clinically not believed necessary to demonstrate improvement
Click to expand...

well this is not true in real life. if it looks and smells like fatty liver it's usually fatty liver. It's the inflammatory component that we care about as noted above. the biopsy is done when other diagnosis are in the doubt and to rule out other things or when there's signs of synthetic dysfunction. sometimes we think it's fatty liver and we end up finding granulomatous disease for instance on biopsy..biopsy does not change the course of fatty liver disease but necessary sometimes to rule out out other pathologies.
 
RUfromSoCal?

RUfromSoCal?

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Nov 26, 2006
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Scarlet_Scourge

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May 25, 2012
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Don't listen to us, please go see a hepatologist aka a Liver doctor. They would know a lot more than a normal doctor.
 
G

GSGS

Heisman
Aug 2, 2001
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RUfubar said:
most common cause these days in US is called "fatty liver"....treat first with diet, exercise, cholesterol lowering drugs
ps- you won't necessarily see it on ultrasound....ct or mri are better and biopsy the best
Click to expand...

Totally agree, but let me add three supplements that work wonders for the liver:
Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA)
Milk Thistle
Curcumin

With ALA, which I consider to be no less that a miracle supplement for the liver, one should also take a Vitamin B supplement.

I recommend that book below on ALA, and I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that the author/physician is a RU graduate.

 
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HeyHuey

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The Liver Center at Saint Michael's Medical Center
The Liver Center is advancing clinical research and treatment to achieve the best outcome for patients with liver disease. The Center provides a coordinated, multi-disciplinary approach to liver disease, and offers medical treatment, research, and minimally invasive surgical and radiologic interventions. The Liver Center at Saint Michael’s Medical Center now offers Fibroscan -- a non-invasive alternative to liver biopsy

Both rely on assessment of the effect of liver stiffness (fibrosis) on the velocity of transmission of a shear wave through the liver. Ultrasound elastography, commercially known as FibroScan®, uses a modified ultrasound probe to measure the velocity of a shear wave created by a vibratory source.
 
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