Hello all I've tried not to read too much and worry a lot with my symptoms hence my recent absence. I still awaiting results of endoscopy and colonoscopy , I thought I'd leave the worrying until I get some results .
However I've had a blood test today at hospital which showed that I have elevated ALT (113), so here I am back to worrying again. I know that a whole lot of serious stuff can cause this however three scans later (US, CT & MRI) I have what is described as simple cysts on MRI or heamogeomas on US.
I know that coeliac can cause this however I'm gluten free . So I'm at a loss unless I'm coeliac and you have raised ALT with or without gluten??
Hope your all keeping well. Jim
Elevated Alanine transaminase (ALT)
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Hi Jim,
Yes, celiac disease can cause non-alcoholic fatty liver disease symptoms, but I have no idea how long those symptoms would persist after gluten is withdrawn from the diet. Resolving gluten sensitivity symptoms does not happen overnight due to the fact that the half-life of those antibodies is 120 days. And the immune system continues to produce antibodies long after gluten is withdrawn from the diet (because that's a safety precaution built into the immune system that allows it to respond quickly if it detects any traces of gluten in the diet). If no gluten is detected, those antibody levels slowly decay, and eventually (usually measured in years) the immune system will stop looking for gluten (provided your diet is clean) and the anti-gliadin antibody level will decay to a normal level. IOW, if gluten sensitivity is the reason for that elevated ALT level, then it may take a while for the ALT test levels to return to normal.
Some medications can cause liver insults that result in elevated ALT results. I don't recall if you are taking any medications that might do that.
One of the possibilities is a blocked bile duct. Gallbladder/bile duct issues are somewhat commonly associated with MC. If that's the cause, it should show up on 1 or more of the scans (assuming that they scanned that area — surely they did).
If your other test levels are normal, and your AST level was not higher than your ALT level then it probably was not due to a serious issue such as a heart problem, for example. And slightly elevated levels sometimes occur for unknown reasons, so slight elevations are usually nothing to be concerned about. If it were 10 times the normal level it would be time to be concerned.
Tex
Yes, celiac disease can cause non-alcoholic fatty liver disease symptoms, but I have no idea how long those symptoms would persist after gluten is withdrawn from the diet. Resolving gluten sensitivity symptoms does not happen overnight due to the fact that the half-life of those antibodies is 120 days. And the immune system continues to produce antibodies long after gluten is withdrawn from the diet (because that's a safety precaution built into the immune system that allows it to respond quickly if it detects any traces of gluten in the diet). If no gluten is detected, those antibody levels slowly decay, and eventually (usually measured in years) the immune system will stop looking for gluten (provided your diet is clean) and the anti-gliadin antibody level will decay to a normal level. IOW, if gluten sensitivity is the reason for that elevated ALT level, then it may take a while for the ALT test levels to return to normal.
Some medications can cause liver insults that result in elevated ALT results. I don't recall if you are taking any medications that might do that.
One of the possibilities is a blocked bile duct. Gallbladder/bile duct issues are somewhat commonly associated with MC. If that's the cause, it should show up on 1 or more of the scans (assuming that they scanned that area — surely they did).
If your other test levels are normal, and your AST level was not higher than your ALT level then it probably was not due to a serious issue such as a heart problem, for example. And slightly elevated levels sometimes occur for unknown reasons, so slight elevations are usually nothing to be concerned about. If it were 10 times the normal level it would be time to be concerned.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Hi Tex thank you for your response . They would've done the AST as well , they have on every other occasion but that was normal . It's strange that out of the blue this has happened. My most recent scan was an MRI on the 4th January. Nothing showed up then.
Incidentally after dealing with several Gastroentorologist I think you foot note is based on fact and your personal experience rather than speculation. I think it's just as well my gastroentorologist has his job else he'd be the village idiot and at £125 for 20 minutes being a fool can be rather lucrative too.
Incidentally after dealing with several Gastroentorologist I think you foot note is based on fact and your personal experience rather than speculation. I think it's just as well my gastroentorologist has his job else he'd be the village idiot and at £125 for 20 minutes being a fool can be rather lucrative too.
Tex how do you know so much, you like a medical encyclopaedia. I would ask if you've a doctor or had medical training but if you had you probably wouldn't have such a broad knowledge. I asked yesterday's question more out of hope than expectation , I never thought I would get such a good answer. The best I thought I'd get was possibly from someone else who'd had it and what their experience was.
Thank you
Thank you
Jim,
I considered medicine when I got out of high school, but I wasn't sure that I could afford medical school, so my education was in engineering, math, and computer science. I try to keep good notes, and if I'm not sure about something, I look it up.
Thank you for the kind words, and you're very welcome.
Tex
I considered medicine when I got out of high school, but I wasn't sure that I could afford medical school, so my education was in engineering, math, and computer science. I try to keep good notes, and if I'm not sure about something, I look it up.
Thank you for the kind words, and you're very welcome.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.