Elevated Liver Enzymes

[Fire Courage]

Just curious if anyone has had elevated liver enzymes. Mines have been elevated since I've been going to the VAMC back in 1996. I filed a claim on undiagnosed illness for it but of course it was denied. They've tested me for everything! They have ruled out everything it could possibly be and finally gave it a name. They are now calling it non-alcoholic steatohepatitis of the liver. I've had a liver biopsy at the VAMC and it showed fatty deposits. I have never been a big drinker; just an occassional beer every now and again.

Has anyone had elevated liver enzymes and were you able to connect it to service?

Edited December 19, 2009 by Fire Courage

[Berta]

The VA needs to have a current documented disability in order to see if it is service connectable.

Do you have any current diagonosed disablity that could possibly be due to elevated liver enzymes?

I studied this type of blood work result for my past claim.

“Elevated liver enzymes may indicate inflammation or damage to cells in the liver. Inflamed or injured liver cells leak higher than normal amounts of certain chemicals, including liver enzymes, into the bloodstream, which can result in elevated liver enzymes on blood tests.

The specific elevated liver enzymes most commonly found are:

Alanine transaminase (ALT)

Aspartate transaminase (AST)

Elevated liver enzymes may be discovered during routine blood testing. In most cases, liver enzyme levels are only mildly and temporarily elevated. Most of the time, elevated liver enzymes don't signal a chronic, serious liver problem.”

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/elevated-liver-enzymes/MY00508

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BTW-ALT used to be referred to as SGPT (serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase )

and AST used to be SGOT (Serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase )

in VA blood work results many years ago.

ALT aspartate aminotransferase

AST aspartate aminotransferase)

There is some association of high AST/ALT levels in undiagnosed and untreated DMII.

I used documentation of that for my DMII claim.

There could be many reason for these high readings and as Mayo says this could be temporary situation and certainly meds might have caused the elevated reading.

Maybe this will help someone- I went over every single blood work test result VA gave my husband and did extensive research to understand what each test value meant.(as well as every single entry in his med recs.That was very hard to do in the pre internet days for my older claims but it sure helped me for my more recent claim because by 2003 I knew the real reason for his demise and the blood work results supported my claim in many ways.

By then VA had stopped using the initials SGPT and SGOT for ALT and AST in blood-chem results but that involved some time for me to clarify that.

Edited May 6, 2011 by Berta

[stormvet]

It is curious the cholestrol drugs cause this and the VA is quick to put people on them. My cholesrtol was in good shape but triglicerides were a little high so they put me on the cholestral drug. After reading this and looking at research I don't know if I should take that med. I have enough problems as it is. If this could cause liver problems I don't need another problem.

Has this fatty liver shown up in alot of Vets????? That would be interesting to know since NASH only occurs in 2 to 5% of the common population.

[rdawg]

are/were you a mechanic? I had elevated enzymes for years. I quit drinking completely even though the doc said it was not from that. I figured better safe than sorry. went thru the liver biopsy, the whole nine yards. no diagnosis. my private gastro guy told me to lose 20 lbs. I never did lose the weight (he threatened to wire my jaw shut) but after about three years of not being a mechanic they went back down. I think it was the toxic chemicals - benzene, trichloroethylene, zinc chromate, chromium, solvents that I was exposed to as a mechanic.

[retiredat44]

Just curious if anyone has had elevated liver enzymes. Mines have been elevated since I've been going to the VAMC back in 1996. I filed a claim on undiagnosed illness for it but of course it was denied. They've tested me for everything! They have ruled out everything it could possibly be and finally gave it a name. They are now calling it non-alcoholic steatohepatitis of the liver. I've had a liver biopsy at the VAMC and it showed fatty deposits. I have never been a big drinker; just an occassional beer every now and again.

Has anyone had elevated liver enzymes and were you able to connect it to service?

mine have, and am in the process of having them service connected,, my liver had problems along with my pancreas disease

I am currently a regualr GI clinic patient, but hav been with the liver clinic too...

at one point they were going to attach a drain tube surgically, but when the levels dropped they decided not to implant a drain tube..

mine was from chemical exposure

Edited May 6, 2011 by retiredat44

[hawkfire27]

It is weird that they put you on a cholestrol med, when you had high triglycerides, and the simvastatin they put my husband on hasn't touched the triglyceride levels.

Before not taking it I would get a copy of your lab records, and see if the triglyceride levels have changed at all.

Also, for everyone who is taking these medications the VA is required to perform 3 monthly labs to check your liver enzyme readings.

It is curious the cholestrol drugs cause this and the VA is quick to put people on them. My cholesrtol was in good shape but triglicerides were a little high so they put me on the cholestral drug. After reading this and looking at research I don't know if I should take that med. I have enough problems as it is. If this could cause liver problems I don't need another problem.

Has this fatty liver shown up in alot of Vets????? That would be interesting to know since NASH only occurs in 2 to 5% of the common population.

[Fire Courage]

mine have, and am in the process of having them service connected,, my liver had problems along with my pancreas disease

I am currently a regualr GI clinic patient, but hav been with the liver clinic too...

at one point they were going to attach a drain tube surgically, but when the levels dropped they decided not to implant a drain tube..

mine was from chemical exposure

I know this is an old post but how did you come out on your claim with the elevated liver enzymes?