Why would my liver results be off when I don’t drink?

[IwouldmyfriendFernando]

Hi I recently went to the doc about tiredness.

Had a fasting blood test and everything came back fine except liver results and slightly raised cholesterol.

Doc said liver figs weren’t wildly out of whack but worth an ultrasound.

My question is: what would cause this as I hardly drink alcohol now as post-menopause I have found that it just doesn’t suit me. But I wasn’t a big drinker in the past either. And I dislike creamy or fatty food or anything greasy. I don’t eat any junk food like burgers for example.

Are you on any medication or have you had some sort of virus/infection recently.

Do you take any other meds? Or supplements?
Mother had this recently and it turned out to be statins. (There was a query on some supplements she was taking too)
Now she’s come off them, her bloods eventually came down to normal.

They usually wait a Time and retest. My ferritin levels came back very high. They retested and they were normal. My DIL had this liver result after covid. Three months later normal.

Try not to worry too much they're just being thorough

Look into haemachromatosis. My liver results were a bit out.
Women are typically diagnosed at menopause age.

Alcohol isn’t only way to get fatty liver
”You're at an increased risk of NAFLD if you:

• are obese or overweight – particularly if you have a lot of fat around your waist (an "apple-like" body shape)
• have type 2 diabetes
• have a condition that affects how your body uses insulin
• are insulin resistance, such as polycystic ovary syndrome
• have an underactive thyroid
• have high blood pressure
• have high cholesterol
• have metabolic syndrome (a combination of diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity)
• are over the age of 50
• smoke

But NAFLD has been diagnosed in people without any of these risk factors, including young children.” https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/non-alcoholic-fatty-liver-disease/

It's impossible to say, otherwise your GP would have already said.

However, whatever made you get the bloods checked in the first place might be a clue if you have more symptoms than tiredness. Do you have itchy skin or yellowing eyes? I'm interested you say you don't like fatty foods - was that always the case? The liver processes fats and so could be why you dislike them (your body is compensating). Also, which blood test readings were outside normal range could give another clue.

The truth is there are so many reasons liver function tests could be off, but fatigue is a symptom of them being off, not a reason.

It could be medication. It could be viral. It could be hepatitis. It could be something relatively benign like Gilbert's disease or something awful like the big C (though I'd expect unexplained weight loss for this one, by the time it affects the liver).

At this point, Dr Google is probably not going to be your friend because the range of potential problems with the liver is so variable and can cause unnecessarily anxiety. Even if it's worse case scenario you can worry about that later when you get a diagnosis but hopefully not anything like that. Did the GP give any clues about his suspicions/probable cause?

Are you overweight? Carrying excess weight knocked my liver results out - fatty liver disease.

My high liver readings are always medication based. They tweak meds a bit every now & then.

Have you had a bad bout of covid by any chance ?

Wow I stepped away from my phone for 10 mins and returned to find all of these very helpful replies, thanks so much everybody!

Platinumbrunette Thanks - only meds are beta blockers (for a congenital arrhythmia) and antacids …tend not to
take painkillers if I have a headache

Justasking111 Thanks yes I have another blood test booked in for after ultrasound

Spendonsend yes I was just going down with the flu when I was tested … can that skew the figures? … Biology A level is the extent of my medical knowledge but I thought it was the spleen that fought infection? But I have no clue really! 😬

MrsWalliams1 just checked and my ferritin levels are ok but thank you

That list is really helpful thank you Releasethecrackhen (great nn btw) I don’t have diabetes apparently but I am 2 to 3 stone overweight and do have weight around my middle. I’m a definite apple with a sweet tooth. Some of my cholesterol is high and I am over sixty.

SadButStillTrue thank you for your sensible advice. No yellowing skin or itchiness. Only other readings that are off are cholesterol (both types) but tryglycerides ok.

Deathbyfluffy and WatchOutMissMarpleIsAbout that’s v interesting to know thanks

One question please: at what point does “liver readings off” turn in to fatty liver disease? How do they diagnose FLD? Is it reversible?

solice84 as far as one can know for sure; I am one of the rare ones who never had Covid

Have you taken painkillers close to the test? Sometimes these things are just a temporary glitch.

BTW, your liver readings can be normal even with FLD.

Mine were high with gallstones and a blockage in my bile duct.

I was diagnosed with fatty liver disease after an ultrasound, whilst looking for the cause of my exhaustion which turned out to be coeliacs disease. I do have a sweet tooth and probably not the best of diets, but I don’t drink generally (I’m a binge drinker, maybe once or twice a year tops).

I was on ads, and they were the cause of my liver results being raised, I’ve switched pills and on my last blood test they’d come down to normal I think. The ads also gave me a funny ticker, which was luckily investigated and all was well with it so the cause was the pills.

Another here diagnosed with fatty liver after ultrasound (liver numbers were fine, ultrasound was done after a number of symptoms which could have been ovarian cancer).

Annoyingly the only thing that can be done to reduce fatty liver is lose weight and exercise (not the easiest thing to do if you're tired all the time).

If they find enlarged/fatty liver they should send you for a fibroscan just to check how serious it is.

Hope your ultrasound gives you some answers OP.

I had slightly raised liver function tests earlier this year, I was coming down with a cold and that was most likely the cause as follow up bloods done 3 months later were completely normal.

Have a work lunch but just wanted to say thanks very much for latest replies and will rtn to thread this evening.

Very interesting that you can be diagnosed with a fatty liver and yet your liver numbers can be ok… .

That list is really helpful thank you Releasethecrackhen (great nn btw) I don’t have diabetes apparently but I am 2 to 3 stone overweight and do have weight around my middle. I’m a definite apple with a sweet tooth. Some of my cholesterol is high and I am over sixty.

Glad you got my user name 🏴‍☠️
The list was useful too me, as I too have slightly off liver function and high cholesterol solely due to the medications I am on and an auto-immune condition. Like you I didn’t get any information as to why- I got a condescending text telling me my cholesterol was high with a link to a webpage about changing my diet to a healthy one (I have a healthy diet), and for the liver function I got a text with a link to the max alcohol units/week recommendations (I also do not drink). It took some frustrated digging to find out the why in my case. So I do sympathise with you.

Maybe you had glandular fever? DD’s went out of whack and is now awaiting a retest. Is well again but not drinking booze in the interim (and is not impressed, being a student).