What are the risks of having elevated liver enzymes?I had a blood test recently (after fasting) that showed my liver enzymes were way too high. I don't remember what the exact number was but the Dr. told me I need to stop drinking.
I had an Ultra Sound to check for liver damage and there was none apparent. What will happen if I don't stop drinking?
Gunner221
I am not a doctor but I believe that you risk cirrhosis of the liver. This can be fatal and/or lead to a liver transplant. There is a waiting list for those so best not to need it. Listen to your doctor or risk the above. Good luck.
abijann
Some people can drink all their life and not have a
problem...others are more sensitive to it and it doesn't
take much to cause a very serious problem
The liver cells are what makes these enzymes.
When the liver cells become damaged, these enzymes
leak out and go higher in the blood and are picked up
when they test it.
The doctor does other testing also: the liver function
tests. These show how well the cells of the liver are
able to do the over 500 plus functions, the liver does
as a whole, to keep the body well.
What will happen if you do not stop drinking:
When the cells of the liver become damaged, the
immune system of the body will respond to this damage
and cause inflammation to develop inside the liver...
it will lead to the liver enlarging in size (even though it
is surrounded by a tight membrane capsule) This
puts alot of pressure inside the liver and can further
cause more damage to the liver cells until the cells
start to die off. When the liver cells die off, it
forms scar tissue inside the liver that blocks the
flow of blood through the liver on its ways back to the
heart and also blocks the flow of blood to the cells
left and they will die also. It is an irreversible and
progressive disease, known as Cirrhosis of the liver.
Your elevation of the liver enzymes are the first sign
that your liver isn't able to handle the alcohol.
The ultrasound was done to see if there was inflammation.
You may be one of the lucky ones in that they
haven't seen the enlargement of the liver, yet.
This is fortunate...because if you stop drinking now...
the problem can be reversed and any damage to the
liver cells can heal. Once the cells die off, there is
no turning back. The doctor can try to slow the
Cirrhosis down...but there is no cure accept a
liver transplant that can cost $ 300,000 and up.
No guarantees come with this: that an organ
will be available for you when you need it,
that you would be placed on the transplant
list after an extensive evaluation process,
that the organ will function once it is placed in
side of you. Cirrhosis is a horrible disease with
many very uncomfortable and painful symptoms
as it progresses. You would be wise to stop now.
Patients will cirrhosis have severe muscle wasting
and fluid build up in the abdomen...they look like
skeletons that are about to give birth to triplets.
Best wishes to you. Hope this information is of
some help.
Baa Baa
High liver enzymes means that something is irritating your liver which in your case is alcohol. If you continue to drink, then the irritation causes inflammation which you probably already have. This leads to fibrosis and then this leads to cirrhosis of the liver. Cirrhosis is when healthy tissue in the liver is replaced with scar tissue. This is permanent damage that does not go away. There is no cure for cirrhosis other than a liver transplant which is extremely hard to get for anyone needing a transplant due to alcohol abuse.
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