Mr

[Liew]

My wife has high GGT (250iu/l) and ALP (200).Done ultrasound and shearwave scan cleared her liver is alright.

She is taking heptral started 2 months ago.

Why is GGT and ALP of recent test result only shows slight improvement?

Thank you

[sandra_dee]

Just replying to bump this and hope someone with more knowledge will be along soon.

Best wishes.

[Liew in reply to sandra_dee]

Thank you very much Sandra.Apreciate your concern and care.

[AyrshireK]

I take it you are not in the UK Liew? Ultrasound I am familiar with, shearwave I guess it the equivalent of our fibroscan where liver density is assessed to see if there is fatty tissue, fibrosis or even cirrhosis present.

Without knowing the background to your wife being tested for liver disease it is hard to give you any answers to your question.

What took her to the doctors in the first place?

What reference range does your lab take as being normal ? If you have a print out of blood test result the reference range should be stated so you can see just how far out of range the results are.

Elevated GGT levels themselves do not mean anything as the levels of GGT tend to fluctuate during the day; however, the presence of jaundice is usually confirmation enough of some kind of liver damage. A GGT test should then be compared with an ALP test.

High ALP usually means that either the liver has been damaged or a condition causing increased bone cell activity is present.

If other liver tests such as bilirubin, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), or alanine aminotransferase (ALT) are also high, usually the increased ALP is coming from the liver. If GGT or 5'-nucleotidase is also increased, then the high ALP is likely due to liver disease. If either of these two tests is normal, then the high ALP is likely due to a bone condition. Likewise, if calcium and/or phosphorus measurements are abnormal, usually the ALP is coming from bone.

I know nothing of the drug Heptral and it certainly isn't used in the UK. Reading up about it online it seems to make claims about detoxifying the liver and all sorts of stuff plus it gets used as an anti-depressant. I am not sure about it at all - has it been prescribed or are you buying this privately?

I think although your wife has had clear ultrasound and clear shear wave scans she could still be exhibiting some signs of liver ill health (depending on how far out of range those blood results are). Has she been tested for all various kinds of liver inflammation - i.e. hepatitis a, b, c, e ? Has she had tests to check for underlying auto-immune illness. Does she drink alcohol or take drugs?

These are all questions a doctor should be asking and answering for you, sadly none of us on here are medical experts we only speak from our experiences and it's probably why you never got an answer to your post because so much back ground is missing and we can't fill in the gaps to then provide any sort of answer.

Perhaps a return to doctor is in order to ask why these results are still out of range.

Wishing you all the very best,

Katie

[Liew in reply to AyrshireK]

Dear Katie ,

Thank you very much for your feedback.I am from Malaysia.

I agree it is more appropriate to consult our Dr on this matter.

Appreciate your concern.May

God bless you.

[Bolly]

Like Katie I have not heard of the drug Heptral but on looking it up it seems to be prescribed when there is a blockage in the liver or the bile ducts, preventing the flow of bile and causing a build up.

So I'm guessing the reason your wife's levels are still high means either the medication has not worked, or the doctors have not dealt with the cause of the cholestasis. If her liver is ok perhaps the problem lies outside the liver, such as: a blockage in the bile duct, pancreatitis, cysts or stones.

[Liew in reply to Bolly]

Thank you so much Bolly for your information.

God bless