Can you see with Full Body MRI liver damage?

[lomino]

Hello all

Im 30 years old with 85kg/187lbs, 185cm/6"1, no drinker and no smoker. I've got this year the diagnosis that i have an uncurable rheumatic disease and had to do a blood test to see if i can take a immunosuppressive medicament (TNF Blocker). They found then accidently that i have a sleeping/"cured" Hepatitis B with this results:

Hbs-AG negative
Hbs-AB 8 / < 10
Hbc-AB positive
Hb DNA Pcr quant < 10 / <10
HBV DNA not detectable.

The results from the liver are:
AST - 14 (Ref. Value: 10 - 34)
ALT - 8 (Ref. Value: < 41)
GGT - 58 (Ref. Value: 11 - 50)

The higher GGT results are probably (at least i hope) from the medicaments that i have to use for my rheumatic disease they are pretty heavy. My doc said it's normal but i don't know.

In two weeks i have an appointment with the liver doc in the hospital. The reason the doc sent me there is that i can speak with him about the TNF Blocker but that is another story. He will do then also for safety an ultrasound on the liver and take blood again.
I am so scared that he will find some damage on the liver. I can't sleep more since some days because im thinking all the time about how the doctor will find a cirrhosis or some other very bad liver damage.

My question now is: After i got my rheumatic disease diagnosis (half year ago) i had to do a full body MRI and i wonder if they would have seen something in the liver if there would be something bad already? As far as i saw some are using some contrast before they do a MRI and some don't use it because of allergic problems. I also didn't got anything too. One in the forum said if they don't see anything in the MRI it's already a very good sign. Is that really true? :(

Is there anyone that knows maybe if you can see with the normal MRI already liver damage?
And is there maybe even one that has tryed to use a tnf blocker with hepatitis?

I hope someone can help me or calm me down this stuff is eating me up inside and the long waiting for the appointment gives me the rest. :(

Thanks so much for reading and for your help.

[HectorSF]

Good luck with your appointment with the liver doctor.
If you have any questions about your hepatitis B or liver disease in general, be sure to ask him or her and they can explain.

Best of luck managing your rheumatic disease.

Hector

[Dee1956]

Hector is the most knowledgeable person here.  Only adding
looking at your ALT and AST, they look good to me

Take Care

[lomino]

Thanks alot my friend.

[HectorSF]

I am sorry to hear of your diagnosis of rheumatic disease.

As far as cirrhosis and liver disease are concerned, only people with active chronic liver disease are at risk of developing cirrhosis of the liver. For people with chronic liver disease, it typically takes 20-40 years of active chronic liver disease to develop advanced liver disease and cirrhosis.

From my understanding of your hepatitis B infection, you are not chronically infected with the virus and don't require treatment and you are not at risk of developing liver disease. Since I am not an expert on hep B, please consult with your doctor to learn more about your exposure to hepatitis B, its status and any future concerns.

Secondly cirrhosis is not diagnosed using MRI or ultrasound. Cirrhosis is diagnosed based having known active liver disease, or having symptoms or signs of advanced liver disease. None of which you mention. If liver disease was suspected a liver biopsy or FibroScan (a non invasive imaging study) would be performed to stage any possible liver disease.

For more information about your acute hepatitis B and the risk of liver disease talk to your doctor. I think you will learn you have no risk of liver disease or cirrhosis and you are worrying needlessly.

Hector

[lomino]

Hello Hector,
Thank you so much for taking the time to write me so detailed. Im so thankful for it. Now i understand some stuff also alot better. Im very glad that you wrote back and i don't worry more so much like before.I will see with my doctor what we will do as next steps. Take care and thanks again so much.