Liver hepatitis

[Korede]

I was diagnosed with chronic hepatitis 6months ago, I did ultra scan which shows heterogeneous outline, my LFT is abit elevated ALT 93,AST 75,GGT 94.i did a fibroscan and it is 11KPA.NO GALL STONES, gall bladder normal, spleen normal and portal vein is patent with ante grade flow. I am booked for biopsy before treatment commence, where do I stand in all of this please?

[jazzjam]

I’ve never had the words chronic Hepatitis said to me so I can’t add anything on that side. Take a look at the British Liver Trust site as they have lots of information to read from specialists. The only things I would add is that your doctor seems to be checking very thoroughly by doing a liver biopsy, this should give them a more definitive answer for you. In the meantime to help your liver try and eat healthy, there appears to be a general recommendation from a large number of doctors to follow the Mediterranean diet, cut down on your salt intake and cut out alcohol until your doctor advises you otherwise. All the best and please let us know how you get on. Some of the other members on here may have a better insight for you.

[briccolone]

I'm interested if you have any symptoms with those numbers? How were you diagnosed and what was the cause if known? Sorry more questions than answers.

[Hidden]

Hi Korede

Have you been diagnosed with a chronic viral hepatitis? We have lots of supportive information on our website that will be of help, here is the link then search under 'liver health and liver conditions'

britishlivertrust.org.uk/

Unfortunately, no one on the forum is medically qualified to assess your results and advise you, your own medical teams are best placed to guide you.

We hope you find the forum a supportive place to visit

Best wishes

Trust1

[Hidden]

If the FibroScan score is accurate then your liver has significant fibrosis & is on the cusp of cirrhosis. A liver isn't chronically inflamed like yours for no reason. You need to try & work out why it's inflamed. Are you taking any medications that might stress your liver? Do you drink alcohol? Have you been tested for viral hepatitis? Do you have diabetes? Are you overweight? Is your diet healthy?

My mother had chronic hepatitis & it progressed to cirrhosis & killed her although it took a long time & she lived to age 72. Her last years were unpleasant to say the least.

When I felt sick with symptoms that I recognised as an inflamed liver I knew I needed to change my lifestyle. It's now 1 year & 9 months since I had a painkiller & over 3 ½ years since I last drank alcohol. I exercise most days. I eat a healthy diet. My weight is healthy with my body mass index being around 22. Despite having done all I can think of to settle my liver down I'm still not sure I've done enough. I'll be vigilant for the rest of my life after feeling so sick I thought I might have cirrhosis.

In my mother's case medications plus being overweight wore her liver down. In my case I wore my liver down through over reliance on medication to relieve arthritic aches & pains & chronic stress. There have to be reasons why your liver is chronically inflamed.

[Korede in reply to Hidden]

Thanks, I was diagnosed with hepatitis B virus with a high Viral load. Can a liver fibrosis like mine be reverse?

[Hidden in reply to Korede]

Liver scarring can resolve or diminish if treatment is successful.

Your FibroScan score may have been significantly inflated because your liver was inflamed so you may not have the degree of fibrosis that the score suggests. Your biopsy will determine the true state of your liver. You may be one of the unlucky people whose immune system wasn't strong enough to overcome the hepatitis B virus within 6 months of initial infection and thereafter become immune to further infection. Although rare some peoples' immune systems can take up to 12 months to overcome the infection so you should look after yourself to give your immune system the best chance to overcome the virus.

Looking up hepatitis B in the book 'Dr. Melissa Palmer's Guide To Hepatitis and Liver Disease' it's too complex a condition to discuss all of the possibilities on a forum like this. You should avoid alcohol and smoking, follow a healthy diet and continue to be monitored by a specialist.

Your ALT at 93 is a little over twice the upper limit of normal (5-40), your AST of 75 is a little less than twice the upper limit of normal (10-40) & your GGT at 94 is a little less than twice the upper limit of normal (5-50). There are anti-viral drug treatments available but with the LFTs you posted monitoring may be the best option based on the following quote:

Dr. Melissa Palmer's Guide To Hepatitis and Liver Disease:

"People with chronic hepatitis B should not be treated if their transaminases are normal or less than two times the upper limit of normal, unless they have a significant degree of inflammation on their liver biopsy specimens. These people have only a minimal chance of eradicating the virus from their bodies."

In the above quote Dr Palmer doesn't say that there's no chance of eradicating the virus so if you can strengthen your immune system through a healthy lifestyle there remains a possibility that your body's immune system may be able to eradicate the virus. Some people (admittedly a minority) with chronic hepatitis B do overcome it. Also new treatments have been developed since Dr Palmer wrote the above so make sure you are seen by a good specialist who will determine the best treatment plan in your case.

If I were in your position I'd do what I could to improve my general health & boost my immune system to help it fight the virus. I'd follow a healthy diet, gradually lose weight if overweight, exercise regularly even if it's only walking & get plenty of good quality sleep. Even if your immune system can't eradicate the virus you may be able to slow the progression of any further damage to your liver by the virus.