Generic Blood Test Results to start initial tests for Lupus show raised liver enzymes.

[Nat1291]

Hi Everyone

I underwent some generic blood tests to begin the process of being tests for Lupus just over a week ago.

The results showed that I have a significant vitamin D deficiency and have slightly raised liver enzymes levels.

The raised liver enzymes levels has concerned me as I know that even a slightly high ALT and AST can point towards hepatitis which I have been led to believe can be quite common among Lupus pacients.

I've to return on Dec 8th to test the liver enzymes again and the doctor said we would take it from there.

Did anyone else have any abnormal liver enzymes readings and was it actually hepatitis or linked to their Lupus?

Thanks x

[PMRpro]

I had elevated liver enzymes - and it was neither liver disease nor lupus. Raised liver enzymes are found in several autoimmune conditions. So don't panic yet!

Hope your GP has given you a high dose vit D supplement - that alone could make you feel better.

[Nat1291 in reply to PMRpro]

Thank you for your reply!

I was getting myself a tad panicked as I know that a vitamin D deficiency is also a sign of hepatitis as is raised liver enzymes so to have them both sent my brain into overdrive.

I'm glad to hear that you didn't have either condition and have the same thing so it could be nothing sinister.

The GP has given me nothing for the vitamin D deficiency- I was told over the phone today when he called to explain the results to buy something for it.

Very helpful lol

[PMRpro in reply to Nat1291]

Charming - how low was it? H&B do very reasonable higher dose tablets, often as an offer, and they are tiny so easy to take. Boots also do a higher dose tablet, but larger so I don't like them as much (I also don't patronise Boots on principle!). When I say "higher dose" I mean 12.5 micrograms/500 IU and 1000 IU - which is minimal compared with the recommended dose for severe vit D deficiency which is more in the region of 60,000 IU/week!

Vit D deficiency is commonly found alongside many autoimmune disorders - but they have no idea whether it is cause or effect.

[Nat1291 in reply to PMRpro]

Thank you for that- I don't have any idea about supplements as I've never taken any to date so that was helpful to me

I have no idea how low it was- he didn't give me the numbers of either abnormal result.

It was a locum that Ive never met as usual. I do have a named gp but he doesn't see pacients so I only deal with whoever is available and never the same person.

It seems a great system for information to be lost and results not to be passed on as even the reception staff don't know who half the locums are. Doesn't give much peace of mind when you're being tested for something as serious as Lupus.

[PMRpro in reply to Nat1291]

That's a novel idea - give someone a named GP who doesn't see patients!

It really is time JH was sacked/assassinated/something else!!!!!

[Nat1291 in reply to PMRpro]

Definitely agree with you on that.

We can no longer book in advance for appointments. (Bloods yes because ordered by gp and nurse does it).

You have to call the day before you want an appointment and hope there is one available. If not you have to keep ringing for the next day. Only they don't answer the phone.

I called 3x daily (over 20 min each time) for 24 days before I had to go down to the surgery and refuse to move until I got an appointment.

It's sickening.

[PMRpro in reply to Nat1291]

We have a very old-fashioned concept: each day there is a 2-hour window for surgery hours when the door is open. You turn up and wait. If you are in before (or shortly after) the witching hour you will be seen - and you will get as long as the doctor thinks you need. I have been in for 45 mins! She works alone, no receptionist/nurse or whatever. If you need bloods taken you are handed a prescription to take to the hospital phlebotomy clinic, held every morning from 7.30 to 10am, or to the clinic held in the nearest village if you are too far from town.

The fact she deals with you properly first time round means you rarely have to go back because it was wrong/inadequate. If you hoped for a script for ibuprofen - tough, it will be a private one, they aren't covered by the healthcare system and you pay the pharmacy price (no cheap supermarket versions). So if that's what you want/need - you go to the pharmacist for advice first.

She has a limit of 1500 patients - and has time to do emergency appointments if you call and explain, will do house visits to her sick patients. Her services are free - if you go to A&E you will pay 15 euros and that has dissuaded the "I need a plaster" mentality. If you are admitted - all free at point of service, if you are not admitted you have a small co-pay for each service. No-one is deprived of good healthcare because they can't afford it because if you have a low income or chronic illness you are exempt the charges or they are minimal.

Where is this healthcare heaven? Northern Italy - hope I can stay here! Mind you - a routine rheumatology appointment can take just over 3 months...

[Nat1291]

That sounds fantastic right now! I wouldn't mind paying towards my healthcare if it meant i was going to see a doctor who had time to assess my needs correctly.

I lived in Spain for 12 years and they also have a fantastic healthcare system.

We should look to our neighbours on the continent for ideas because the NHS is a sinking ship and I can't see how it can struggle on for much longer.

[PMRpro in reply to Nat1291]

I do struggle with the blanket refusal people shout out to the idea of having to pay for bits in the UK - and I would have defended the NHS on my deathbed. But it was never designed to provide the services it is now expected to dish out and at present it is in a downward spiral, that is not helped of course by the intransigence of the current Health Minister whose desire is blatantly obvious: privatisation by any means. We worked in the NHS, most of the next generation of our family also work in the NHS. We left early in despair and they are on their knees. It can only have a couple of years at most before it collapses altogether.

An example though: it was time for another dexascan, something in the UK you can really struggle to get. I got the prescription on Tuesday, called on Wednesday and had it done on Friday. I had to get there, about 50 miles, train with one change but we drove and had a day out, and it cost 36 euros for the scan. But I could have it when I wanted. Where's the problem?

Trouble is - we are too old and remember better times for health care.

[4373 in reply to Nat1291]

From reading all of the comments on this site, I'm very happy we don't have socialized medicine in the USA.

[PMRpro in reply to 4373]

I live in a country with socialised medicine and it is good - the problem in the UK is a government that wants to switch to a model more like the USA and is starving the system of funding. They were doing the same with the prisons but the patients got stroppy ...

Socialised medicine, even in the UK at present, is preferable to a system whereby millions have no cover at all. No-one in the UK or anywhere else in Europe will die for lack of being able to pay for medical care. Nor will anyone be left bankrupt due to medical bills. We all have the choice of paying for private medicine if we can afford it - if we can't, it isn't that much of a problem.

[4373 in reply to PMRpro]

Thank you for the other side.

[Freckle1000]

Hi,

I had SLE hepatitis at one stage (about 15 years ago). I'm from Australia so the pathology numbers might be different - but at that stage - bilirubin 40, ALT 518, ALP 277, albumin 37

I was bright yellow in hospital, but unfortunately the department I was in didn't listen to my somewhat dodgy Rhematologist's plee for a liver biopsy. I didn't receive any real treatment and 'fortunately' recovered by myself.

I recently went over my liver function tests with my GP. My GGT and ALTs are only a bit up now - eg GGT is 42 (35 being normal) etc - and a lot of the time they're completely normal. He seemed to think small spikes like this were not anything to worry about - just something that needs checking occasionally. If they start to spike, I'm reasonably sure a bit more immuno - suppression will prevent hepatitis ever happening again.

I'ts excellent that your Dr's are keeping an eye on things. This will definitely prevent harm !

The only reason hepatitis happened to me is my Doctors didn't practice the preventative medicine that they should have.

ps. I have a true caring trainspotting nerd chemist who recommended BioCeuticals D3 Drops Forte 1000IU per drop Liquid Vitamin D3 Supplementation. He told me to mix 50 drops all at once in a drink - once a month. He said its what the Hospitals are doing now.......?

[Michiganpbc]

I dont have time to read all the responses to see if anyone else is stating this but make sure a blood test called AMA was done to check for PBC i have it and it was overlooked by 3 different doctors and it is a very serious disease. They dismissed the slightly elevated liver enzymes for 2 years.