liver

[sabina2003]

ave beendiagnosed with early cirrhosis by way of a ultra sound. Utra sound results  states early hepatic parenchyaml liver disease.The Doctor has stated that further tests are required to identify which stage this  cirrhosis is at. please let me know what my prognosis is is it necessary to have biopsy if I do a MRI OR CT SCAN I am afraid that the procedure would be painful.I s endoscopy necessay .What is the prognosisof the disease I am very distressed
  
History: Hepatitis A in 1983. contracted in India
Drank wine heavily for 6 to 8 months in 2005  thereafter given up
Have taken isetronin for 3 months for rosacea
Medication:  Rostat 5 milligram : 6 months: moderately high cholesterol. Now discontinued
TRIGLYCERIDES 211
LDL 122.
  

SGOT,SGPT AND GAMMA T TESTS


SGPT                   68     HIGH
GAMMA G.T     141    HIGH
SGOT                   44    HIGH


FULL BLOOD COUNT NORMAL

SERUM ALKALINE PHOSTASE                            295
PROTHROBIN TIME                                                    9.70 LOW
PROTHROBIN RATIO                                                 0.81
CREATININE ADN ELETROLYTES                         NORMAL


Other tests:
ANTI NUCLEAR ANTIBODY RESULT NEGATIVE
CERULOPLSMIN NORMAL

HEPATITIS B AND C NEGATIVE

SERUM IRON NORMAL
U.I.B.C NORMAL
TOTAL IRON BINDING CAPACITY NORMAL
SERUM IRON SATURATION NORMAL
LIVER KIDNEY MICROSOMAL NEGATIVE
ALPHA 1 ANTITRYPSIN NEGATIVE

ANTI SMOOTH MUSCLE ANTIBODY negative
I

[copyman]

I would not rely on an ulntrasound for a diagnosis of cirrhosis. The liver biopsy is only test to give you a definitive stage of fibrosis.

[ceanothus]

An ultrasound is an excellent tool for diagnosing some liver problems, but it is completely inadequate when it comes to cirrhosis. The liver biopsy is by far the best tool for determining the health of the liver, and although it sounds really painful it actually is hardly ever very painful. It varies between different people and the skill of the doctor, but the range is between hardly noticeable to being a quick sharp pain that is pretty instantaneous and gone, just like that. Many people here describe theirs as not at all painful, whereas mine was in the "quick but sharp" category. Still, it was over almost before it started, so I really had no time to suffer with it, and it wouldn't concern me to have another. I would strongly recommend that you overcome your fears of this and have the biopsy. Your blood test results are not bad at all, at least the ones I'm more familiar with, but they seem to leave a big question as to what is causing your liver disease.  What does your doctor think is the cause of your liver disease? What kind of doctor are you seeing? If you actually have cirrhosis you should be seen by a hepatologist, but I'm not convinced of your diagnosis since it is based on an ultrasound. You might want to move this question from the hepatitis c forum over to the cirrhosis forum. We have good people on both! Btw, we are not doctors here, just knowledgeable patients helping each other.

[Dee1956]

Hello I am sorry for your troubles.
Copy and Cean have given you good advice.
I and others on here have  been where you are, afraid of a biopsy.
Saying that..it is the gold standard to really see what is going on.
It is over quickly, I was given a twilight medication so either I was asleep or don't remember.
I was sore afterwards however it was nothing like I had feared and I had a true picture of what was going on.
My best to you
Dee

[frijole]

I  am afraid our focus here is cirrhosis caused by hepatitis C.  It seems that you need to dig further to determine what has caused your liver disease.  I don't think Hep A in 1983 would cause this problem, nor would a few months of drinking wine.  I looked on Wikapedia but didn't see any indication of those medicines you were taking being a factor in liver diseases.

Were you having problems?  What were the symptoms that led to your ultrasound?  If there is a good chance that you do have cirrhosis, and I am not convinced that you do, you should get a biopsy.  As Ceanathus has said they are relatively painless.  I have had 3.  

It is important that you go to a good liver doctor.  That means a hepatologist if one is close, or a gastro enterologist with experience in this area.  Good luck and let us know what else is going on.

frijole (bean)

[Advocate1955]

Hi sabina and welcome to the forum.  This is a great group of people who can help answer questions about Hep C and liver damage.  Since you are negative for Hep C, I would strongly encourage you to check out the Cirrhosis of the Liver forum as well, where you can ask further questions about other causes of Cirrhosis.  Many of us read and post on both forums because we or someone we know has Cirrhosis due to Hep C.  Here is the link:

http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Cirrhosis-of-the-Liver/show/1390

Your doctor will need to do further testing to try to determine the cause of your Cirrhosis.  The goal will be to identify the cause and treat it in order to slow down or stop the progress of your Cirrhosis.  You will likely need a CT scan and a liver biopsy.  The CT scan will help your doctor learn more about the stage of Cirrhosis and the stage of damage to your liver.  The liver biopsy will also help your doctor learn more about the stage of damage to your liver and may also explain more about the cause.  There are many different conditions that can cause Cirrhosis:  infections, copper storage, alcohol, fatty liver, etc., just to name a few.  I agree with others above, it's very important for you to find a good hepatologist (liver specialist) in order to determine the cause of your liver damage, the stage of your liver damage, and to develop a plan for treatment.  You should do this as soon as possible.
Advocate1955