Hi. First time poster here. I'm a 36YO Male in good shape (73inches, 13.5 stone) . I've been plagued with high GGT for who knows how long, for sure since 2012. At that time I was tested for Life Insurance and my GGT came back in the mid 200s. All other tests were ok, with the exception of ALT being slightly elevated from time to time (10-15 above normal). I had 2 ultrasounds, with the last being in 2015, and they both came back fine. Basically 2 different gastroenterologists in the States told me not to worry.
Note: I barely drink alcohol...as in maybe 1 drink a week. I haven't been intoxicated in over 5 years.
I recently moved to the UK. They tested me again, and once again saw the high GGT -big surprise. I went in for another ultrasound last week, and when I called for results she told me it said "borderline" and I needed to see a Dr. She could tell I was freaked out so she asked the doctor, who said something along the lines of "its not something that needs to be addressed now and can wait for the appointment." I guess that made me feel better, but my appointment isn't until next week, and it's causing me pretty severe anxiety.
I know it would be speculating, but does anyone know what "borderline" means? Any info would help. Thanks much.
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kglee54
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Your GGT is high but can be caused by something other than liver related
But make sure you are tested for all liver diseases
My husband had a problem as a lot of medics believe it to be alcohol related but it did turned out to be a specific genetic liver problem.transplanted in 2011
You dont mention if youre on medication - if you are then look it up and see if it can affect ggt or the liver directly.
Borderline is a term used when diagnosing lesions as I understand i, ut as theyre not rushing thats a good sign.
As freddie said, get tested for everything so you know the cause.
Keep living healthily and best of luck xo
A chronically elevated GGT of 200+ is rather alarming. Your first move is to rule out hemochromatosis. An expensive genetic test isn't necessary. You need an IRON LAB. Ferritin and transferrin saturation (TSAT). Hemochromatosis is the most commonly "missed" diagnosis when mysterious liver labs are coming up high in males your age.
This (ferritin/TSAT) is a cheap test... Please don't let your doc poo-poo this possibility. Hemochromatosis is easy to treat, and a full recovery is possible when it is caught early.
Hi thanks so much for your reply. Just an update the "borderline" was a slightly enlarged spleen. The Dr said it could be normal for me, or it could be from a recent illness. Liver looked good.
As to your reply, back in the States I was given a blood test for EVERYTHING. My mom has lupus, so they did all the standard more in-depth tests, but also added on a bunch of autoimmune ones as well. I don't have the full list in front of me, but I know hemochromatosis is one of them. Everything came back negative.
I've been doing a lot of reading, and I am starting to think I may have some sort of food "allergy" (for lack of a better term). I've never been overweight, but one period several years ago I went through a phase where I ate extra clean, cut out all alcohol (not that I drink much regardless - see above), and became very lean. That was the one test where my GGT had dropped into the low 100s. Maybe I am wrong, but it seems they have ruled mostly everything else out.
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