Liver problem?

[Dianab55]

Hello

Would appreciate thoughts from some knowledgeable people.

Brief history - have had regular blood tests due to hypothyroidism and LFT have been normal until recently.

In September I changed to natural desiccated thyroid as synthetic t4 didn't seem to be working.

Had an MOT with the nurse in October and my ALT was raised to 43 and my thyroid levels were too high.Doc said retest in 3 months. Tested in early January and ALT was then 89! I had had a nasty viral infection over Christmas. I reduced my thyroid medication and was retested 2 weeks later and ALT was down to 48 (still out of range) - others ALP-44, total bilirubin 8, albumin 38 (although that had been higher), ggt 25.

I had an ultrasound today and the lady said I had mildly fatty liver.

So now I'm a bit worried (professional worrier)!

I do like a glass or two of wine - probably 3 bottles a week which I thought was about 18 units but now it turns out to be about 30.

The only thing that has changed is my thyroid medication.

Any thoughts?

[Hidden]

Hi there ... also have hypothyroidism and had a routine blood test October last year and ALT levels at 92. Ultrasound indicated mild fatty liver and further blood test diagnosed hepatitis C. May be advisable to ask to be tested for hepatitis virus. I have probably had the virus for decades but quite common for those affe ted not to show any symptons for decades if at all.

May i ask if the doctor prescribed you the deccicated thyroid as i am having problems with fluctuating levels..

[Dianab55 in reply to Hidden]

Hi. Yes I've been screened for hepatitis and was negative.

My GP referred my to a consultant because synthetic thyroxine didn't seem to be helping my symptoms. The consultant suggested a trial of natural thyroid but I had to get a private prescription. I can actually feel this having some effect but it did make my T3 levels too high which was also when I had the spike in ALT level which made me think the two might be connected - ALT has decreased a bit since I reduced the dose. Does the normal GGT suggest it's not alcohol related? Although it's now apparent that I've got a mildly fatty liver so something must be causing that - am about 20lb overweight.

[AyrshireK]

You've a few things going on there that can contribute to fatty change in the liver. The hyperthyroidism and medication but you can only deal with that through the medical channels which you are doing. You're carrying excess weight (I know the thyroid issue probably contributes to that) and also you are drinking way in excess of the recommended weekly guideline limits.

Good news is fatty liver can be reversed and we've had some really positive stories on here over the past few months with people demonstrating lots of symptoms and living the kind of negative lifestyle which can lead to fatty liver who having made lots of positive lifestyle changes to diet, exercise and alcohol intake have completely reversed their fatty liver diagnosis.

The British Liver Trust has some excellent pages and downloadable resources on alcohol and the liver (alcohol can lead to fatty liver disease), non-alcohol related fatty liver disease and also diet for liver conditions. I shall attach the various links here and hope they are of use in your situation going forward and that you manage to reverse the condition. Ignoring it will over time only lead to a worsening by way of gradual fibrosis of the liver and potentially eventually cirrhosis. Time to make some positive lifestyle changes.

britishlivertrust.org.uk/li...

britishlivertrust.org.uk/li...

britishlivertrust.org.uk/li...

Best wishes, Katie

[Dianab55]

Thanks for this Katie - very interesting. You're right that the thyroid problem has caused the weight gain and the difficulty of losing it.

I don't have any of the symptoms of liver disease - in fact with the new thyroid medication I feel better than I have for quite a while - I am a dog walker as a part time job and most weeks walk about 40 miles - fairly briskly - and I think I have a fairly good diet - no fast food, mostly home cooked meals from scratch etc., so other than cutting back on the wine a bit I'm not really sure what else to do - except worry and I know that that's not good!!

Diana

[Hidden]

Hi,

Welcome to the forum.

As Katie has already kindly posted, The British Liver Trust does have many publications that may be useful to you. Here is the link to our patient guides;

britishlivertrust.org.uk/pu...

It may also be a good idea to discuss all your recent blood results, ultrasound scan results and alcohol intake with your GP. They can then refer you to a liver specialist if needed, who can further help you.

We kindly remind you that this forum is here to share experiences and provide support to each other and we would advise against posting any test results.

This is not a medical forum and should not be used to try and make diagnoses or replace advice from your own medical practitioners who have a much wider view of your health and test results.

Many thanks,

Warm wishes,

Rebecca

[Dianab55]

Thanks Rebecca

Sorry I hadn't realized I wasn't supposed to post test results - I was just trying to get an idea of how bad/or not, they might be as this is all very new to me.

I will of course have a follow up appointment with my GP but I'm just trying to gather as much knowledge as I can because although my GP is great I have found from my experience with hypothyroidism that to work in partnership with one's GP it's best to have some knowledge of the problem/condition when it's a specialist area.

Also I wondered if anyone else had a rise in ALT when taking desiccated thyroid.

Thanks

Diana

[Hidden]

Hi Diana,

The British Liver trust have a publication called 'Liver Disease Tests explained that may help in your general understanding;

britishlivertrust.org.uk/wp...

Only a GP or specialist will be able to investigate any links with liver function tests and the thyroid,

Best wishes,

Rebecca