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alt, ast and alk phos are elevated....

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Posted 11/4/2013 12:58 PM (GMT -7)
my husband is 51 and has been a drinker/smoker for years...blood work 7 months ago were normal...last week the alt was 112 ast was 94 and alk phos was 338....anyone have any idea why so high?  i'm so nervous he has an ultrasound next week...just hoping its nothing serious...thanks for your input..
Posted 11/4/2013 2:20 PM (GMT -7)

Hello and welcome to HW!

The ALT/AST aren't super high...alk phos is high but I"m not sure what constitutes so high to cause a lot of worry  :-)    It could be a number of things so I wouldn't get too worried just yet.  Has he been on any OTC meds, or pain meds, or antibiotics lately?  Not all liver issues are due to drinking and smoking but those certainly don't help.  He should refrain from having any alcohol until they figure out what's causing the increase.  Has the doctor discussed how much alcohol he consumes and if it is enough to cause worry that it could be alcohol-related?

Posted 11/14/2013 12:58 PM (GMT -7)
hi.  thanks for responding....

my husband is a heavy drinker - the dr is aware maybe drinks 8 drinks daily , sometimes less...

he has stopped - needs more bloodwork in 5 weeks, i am very nervous about these numbers.  the ultrasound was done.  everything looked ok (pancreas, gallbladder, kidneys...the dr did see common bile duct dilation of about 8 mm - he gave us the choice to wait 6 weeks to get bloodwork done again or to go to a liver specialist.  we opted to wait for bloodwork but i'm second guessing that now and keep wondering what this blockage is from and if it could in fact be from the drinking......if anyone knows, please respond...i hate waiting.....thank you !!

Posted 11/14/2013 2:15 PM (GMT -7)
Your dilation is usually caused by blockages. Blockages usually are painful and cause jaundice to some degree. And then there are dilations where the ducts have no visible problems. I have a dilation, but an mrcp showed nothing. An mrcp (mri of ducts) will show what's up. You need a GI dr or hep dr.

barry

Post Edited By Moderator (hep93) : 11/21/2013 10:39:21 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 11/14/2013 2:53 PM (GMT -7)
My husband has no other symptoms - he lacks some energy that's about it. I just wondered if the dilation of the common bile duct could have something to do with the alcohol intake? I've read about the kinds of blockages, but haven't seen where alcohol could be a factor. How could nothing show up if a blockage is shown on the ultrasound? i had these questions for my doctor and I didn't really get a concrete answer. So if anyone knows please inform me. His next appt for blood work is 12/20 and if the numbers go down, we will know that alcohol was the culprit. This is why i would love to know ahead of time if this could, in fact, be the reason.

Post Edited By Moderator (hep93) : 11/21/2013 10:43:57 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 11/14/2013 11:11 PM (GMT -7)
Rm, welcome to the forum. To my knowledge, dilation of a common bile duct is not caused by alcohol abuse. But that's really up to a GI specialist or hep doc. Don't rely on a primary care doc. However, this is not urgent and can wait until after he receives the results of lab work in Dec. Hopefully, it will go down.

Hugs,
Connie
Posted 11/15/2013 3:57 AM (GMT -7)
hi connie, thanks for replying. its just that i am so concerned about this and for my husband. he is abstaining from alcohol until his next blood work - i may call the dr just to get more questions answered. the blockage is really concerning me. i also wonder if there is a chance that the blockage will not be there the next time they check or do an ultrasound - can they disappear? waiting is very hard..
Posted 11/15/2013 10:38 AM (GMT -7)
It won't "disappear" but mistakes are made. Also, it could shrink. It really depends on the reason for the blockage. What I'm saying is there is nothing to be done right now, so he's not going to keel over if he waits until the results of blood work. And I hope that he will continue his alcohol abstinence regardless of the results. It's the best thing he could do for himself right now.

Hugs,
Connie
Posted 11/15/2013 10:58 AM (GMT -7)
Well yeah, that's what I meant is would it shrink. I just wonder what it could be blocking...everything i read points to something terrible. How could they miss a cyst blocking the duct?? Ii worry also about the waiting because what if something gets worse in the 6 weeks? Do you know if the alk phos has anything to do with the common bile duct? i have so many questions that the dr is not able to answer yet. I hope hubby has learned a valuable lesson not to drink. Those days should have been gone awhile ago : (....Thank you...)

Post Edited By Moderator (hep93) : 11/21/2013 10:48:10 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 11/15/2013 11:01 AM (GMT -7)
Oh, and does anyone know if 338 is a very high level of alk phos? Or is it in the mild moderate range? i cannot find any info on what "high" numbers are on the web...

Post Edited By Moderator (hep93) : 11/21/2013 10:48:50 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 11/15/2013 11:08 AM (GMT -7)
Alk phos is high at 338. Mine is now 144 (normal is 55-142), but has been close to 300 in the past. And this is with a liver transplant.

Your other questions need to wait for the doctor. Do get a referral to a GI doc once hubby has results.

Hugs,
Connie
Posted 11/21/2013 6:39 AM (GMT -7)
i'm still very scared. his primary doc keeps saying to wait til the blood results come back in december but waiting this long is making me sick to my stomach. i feel i'm getting no answers - his ultrasound said he had no intrahepatic dilation but has no mention of extrahepatic dilation..i hear the extrahapatic is much worse - and his distal duct is obscured which is another worry. what is the reason for that, does anyone know? sorry for all the questions i know you're not doctors but i am beside myself with worry and consumed with stuff i'm seeing on the internet. i guess the one good thing is his total bilirubin is normal ....
Posted 11/21/2013 10:53 AM (GMT -7)
Please, folks, is it too much trouble to use capital letters where needed? I have spent the last half hour correcting these posts, and still don't have time to do them all. It's a simple thing. Look at this post and the capitals I have used. And read your posts before you hit Submit. Thank you.

RM, all your questions should be directed to a GI doc or hep doc. Don't be so consumed with this. It's not likely anything will happen prior to that. Stay off the Internet. Or go to reputable sites like The American Liver Foundation.

Hugs,
Connie
Posted 11/22/2013 1:56 PM (GMT -7)
Rm, there are many reasons for blockages of the bile ducts. You stated that the ultrasound showed dilation of the common duct. Did the report state that a blockage was seen? Either way, you need to see a liver dr to have the appropriate tests run. Your elevated alp, along with high alt/ast is suggestive of a blockage (per Wikipedia.) As i stated in my previous post, an MRI of the ducts will give you a much more enhanced view.
barry

Post Edited By Moderator (hep93) : 11/22/2013 2:02:31 PM (GMT-7)

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