Can Elevated Liver Enzymes Result From A Stomach Ulcer?

H. pylori infection can lead to complications such as gastritis, gastric ulcers, duodenal ulcers, and gastric cancers. In some cases, mild elevations in AST and ALT levels are seen, which normalize after eradication. The infection typically occurs during childhood and persists throughout life. It is the cause of many diseases, such as chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, and gastric mucosa.

Abnormal liver function, defined by elevated aminotransferase, bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, gamma-glutamyl transferase, and reduced albumin, occurred in 50 of duodenal ulcers and 57 of gastric ulcers. Most abnormalities, especially the elevated aminotransferase, were mild to moderate. There appears to be a temporal association between the infection and liver enzyme abnormalities, but a direct link is yet to be made.

Hepatic cysts (HCs) usually don’t cause much in the way of enzyme elevations unless they are big, serious, or cancerous. Elevated liver enzymes can be caused by various conditions, with liver disease being the most common cause. Evidence has shown an association of H. pylori infection with liver dysfunction and damage. Liver penetration is a rare but severe complication of peptic ulcer disease, usually diagnosed by surgery or endoscopic biopsy. Severe abdominal pain in the setting of elevated liver enzymes is likely associated with biliary disease. Peptic ulcer disease (PUD) is frequently seen in patients with liver cirrhosis, but current literature lacks data on PUD in non-alcoholic fatty liver.

Can an ulcer cause high ALT?

A 53-year-old female with no past medical history presented to a gastroenterology clinic with abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. Her labs revealed abnormal liver enzymes, a CT abdomen showing a calcified granuloma and a distended gallbladder, and no evidence of cholelithiasis. Her workup revealed negative serologic testing for various diseases, including HAV, HBV, HCV, autoimmune liver disease, alpha-1 antitrypsin, iron overload, and Wilson’s disease. A liver biopsy revealed mild chronic portal and lobular inflammation, and an upper endoscopy revealed biopsies positive for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and pathology showing chronic H. pylori-related gastritis.

H. pylori is the most common chronic bacterial infection in humans, infecting approximately 50% of the world’s population. The transmission route for H. pylori is unknown but is thought to occur through the fecal-oral route. Treatment involves a combination of antibiotics and a proton pump inhibitor. Reinfection with H. pylori is uncommon and occurs at an annual rate of 2%. Complications of H. pylori infection include gastritis, gastric ulcers, duodenal ulcers, and gastric cancers. In a minority of patients, mild elevations in AST and ALT levels are seen, which normalize following eradication of H. pylori. There appears to be a temporal association between the infection and liver enzyme abnormalities, but a direct link is yet to be made. Further studies are required to investigate this association and its clinical significance.

What organs are affected by stomach ulcers?

These ulcers are sores on the lining of your stomach or the first part of your small intestine (duodenum).

Stomach acids and other digestive juices help to make ulcers by burning the linings of these organs.

Most ulcers are caused by infection from a bacteria or germ called H. pylori (Helicobacter pylori) or from long-term use of pain medicines called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

The most common symptom is a dull or burning pain in the belly between the breastbone and the bellybutton.

Ulcers may be treated with a combination of lifestyle changes and medicines. In rare cases, surgery is needed.

What is the most common cause of high liver enzymes?

There are many causes of mildly elevated ALT and AST levels. The most common causes are nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and alcoholic liver disease. In NAFLD, the liver has more fatty tissue in it than normal. Regular or heavy alcohol use can also hurt the liver and increase liver enzymes. Other medical conditions can increase liver enzymes, like hepatitis B or C and a condition that runs in families called hemochromatosis. Using certain medicines and over-the-counter supplements can also increase liver enzymes.

People with mild elevations in liver enzymes usually do not have symptoms.

Your doctor will ask you questions and examine you to try and find out why your liver enzymes are elevated. He or she may also do blood tests. A scan of your liver, called an ultrasound, might help your doctor find a cause.

Can you have high liver enzymes and nothing be wrong?

Elevated liver enzymes might be found during routine blood testing. In most cases, liver enzymes are only mildly raised for a short time. This usually doesn’t signal a chronic, serious liver problem.

Can a stomach bug cause elevated liver enzymes?

DISCUSSION:. We present a unique case of a middle aged female with travelers’ diarrhea due to Rotavirus A infection with moderately elevated transaminases. Transaminitis had been reported in literature but usually as only a mild elevation of transaminase. Rotavirus testing and diagnosis in the appropriate clinical setting can change management and prevent nosocomial spread. We would like to emphasize that viral gastroenteritis and specifically Rotavirus could be correlated to not only mild but also moderate and severe elevations of transaminases. Rotavirus A infection should be considered in the differential diagnosis of adults with acute gastroenteritis and elevated liver enzymes.

Is stomach ulcer related to liver problems?

Chronic liver disease and its complications, including peptic ulcer disease, are major health issues. The underlying mechanism of peptic ulcer disease in cirrhosis is unclear, but it is believed that Helicobacter pylori infection is central to its pathogenesis. However, the role of H. pylori infection in the pathogenesis of peptic ulcer disease in cirrhotic patients remains unclear. Several studies have suggested a role for H. pylori infection in the pathogenesis of peptic ulcer disease in cirrhotic patients, but several studies have found no relationship. There is also debate concerning the relationship between H. pylori infection and the etiology or severity of cirrhosis. This study aimed to define the prevalence of peptic ulcer disease and H. pylori infection in patients with liver cirrhosis and evaluate the relationship between H. The study population included 288 consecutive Korean patients with newly diagnosed liver cirrhosis, 322 non-ulcer dyspepsia patients without chronic liver disease, and 339 peptic ulcer patients without chronic liver disease. Patients who had taken antibiotics, proton pump inhibitors, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs within 2 weeks before entry and those with a history of gastric surgery were excluded.

Can digestive problems cause elevated liver enzymes?

The increased prevalence of elevated ALT in IBS patients may be due to several possible explanations. Previous studies have reported higher prevalences of altered gut microbiota and SIBO, which are associated with altered tight junction and increased gut permeability, which are related to hepatic function and severity of hepatic steatosis. A recent study showed that intestinal permeability is greater in patients with IBS, suggesting that IBS itself could cause elevated liver enzymes.

A pathogenic role for altered gut microbiota in IBS patients with hepatitis would be strongly supported by increased intestinal permeability and increased levels of endotoxin and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. The activation of Kupffer cells by gut-derived endotoxins induces an increase in the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and nitric oxide-related substances that may lead to liver damage. When liver injury occurs, ALT that is mainly aggregated in the cytosol of the hepatocyte is released from injured liver cells and causes a significant elevation in serum ALT activity.

Further studies are needed to confirm this hypothesis, as no previous study has investigated the relationship between liver enzymes and IBS in humans. Few epidemiological studies have assessed the relationship between IBS status and MS in an adult population, and the underlying causes of pathophysiologic changes are still not completely understood. However, several in vitro studies have proposed different mechanisms to explain the lipid-lowering effects of intestinal bacteria, such as specific strains of Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium, in humans. These mechanisms include the physiological action of major end-products of probiotic fermentation (short-chain fatty acids), cholesterol assimilation by bacteria, enzymatic deconjugation of bile acids, and the binding of cholesterol to the bacterial cell wall.

A recent animal study suggested a possible mechanism by which the gut microbial community can contribute to obesity. Bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS) derived from gram-negative bacteria residing in the intestinal tract may act as a triggering factor, linking inflammation to high-fat diet-induced MS. Understanding the mechanisms by which alteration in the gut microbiota produces different signaling activations and phenotype changes may offer an interesting opportunity for the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Can you be healthy and have elevated liver enzymes?

What does it mean to have elevated liver enzymes?. If you have high levels of liver enzymes in your blood, you have elevated liver enzymes. High liver enzyme levels may be temporary, or they may be a sign of a medical condition like hepatitis or liver disease. Certain medications can also cause elevated liver enzymes.

What are liver enzymes?. Liver enzymes are proteins that speed up chemical reactions in your body. These chemical reactions include producing bile and substances that help your blood clot, breaking down food and toxins, and fighting infection. Common liver enzymes include:

• Alkaline phosphatase (ALP).
• Alanine transaminase (ALT).
• Aspartate transaminase (AST).
• Gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT).

What is an alarming liver enzyme?

Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) are two liver enzymes measured in a blood test to check the health of your liver. High AST and ALT levels are a general sign of a liver problem.

Based on which enzyme is elevated—or if both are elevated—healthcare providers can make an educated guess as to the underlying cause of the liver problem and order additional tests. This may help diagnose diseases ranging from hepatitis and cirrhosis to liver cancer and liver failure.

When ALT and AST Levels Are Tested. ALT and AST are part of a comprehensive panel of tests known as a liver function test (LFT). An LFT may be ordered:

• If you have symptoms of liver disease, including jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes), dark urine, pale stools, nausea, vomiting, and fatigue
• To monitor the progression of a liver disease
• To determine when drug treatments should be started
• To check your response to treatment

Can stomach problems affect the liver?

Intestinal bacterial products, such as endotoxin and bacterial DNA, can activate the immune system, derange the circulatory status, and induce renal failure in patients with liver cirrhosis. This may occur through reduced hepatic clearance of endotoxin or increased cytokine production by the gut. The proinflammatory status and nitric oxide release in cirrhosis may disrupt further gut barrier function, contribute to immune and hemodynamic derangement, cardiac dysfunction, and predict the progression of liver disease.

Bacterial overgrowth, particularly overgrowth of pathogenic E. coli and Staphylococcal species, is more frequent in cirrhotics with compared to those without minimal hepatic encephalopathy. The use of probiotics, prebiotics, and symbiotics, which affect gut flora, has been shown to be associated with significant improvement in hepatic encephalopathy. Alcohol misuse in patients with liver disease is associated with increased intestinal permeability and endotoxemia, which may contribute to alcohol-induced liver damage through hepatic fibrosis stimulation. Recent studies have shown that alcohol-induced gut leakiness and endotoxemia precede steatohepatitis in patients with alcoholic liver disease and are not a consequence of the latter.

The pathophysiology of intestinal barrier dysfunction in cirrhosis is complex, with alcohol and its metabolites contributing to the disruption of tight junctions through nitric oxide mediated oxidative stress, the generation of reactive oxygen species, and alterations in the cytoskeleton, as well as direct cell damage. Portal hypertension may affect the integrity of the intestinal barrier by causing edema in the gut wall with dilatation of intercellular spaces. Treatment with non-selective beta blockers reduces intestinal permeability and bacterial translocation in patients with cirrhosis. Microbial changes in the intestine, particularly small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, may also affect the gut barrier, increasing permeability.

Intestinal barrier dysfunction in patients with liver cirrhosis, especially those with portal hypertension, is related to bacterial translocation and permeation of intestinal bacterial products, potentially being involved in the pathogenesis of complications of liver cirrhosis. Identifying patients with GI symptoms could help select candidates for nutritional therapy.

Can high ALT be nothing?

It’s important to know that having a high ALT test result doesn’t necessarily mean you have a medical condition. Less than 5% of people with elevated ALT levels have severe liver conditions. Other factors can affect your ALT levels. Your provider will take into consideration several factors, including other blood test results and your medical history, when analyzing your results.

What does it mean if my alanine transaminase (ALT) is low?. Having a lower than normal ALT result is uncommon and usually isn’t a cause for concern. However, a lower than normal ALT level could indicate a vitamin B6 deficiency or chronic kidney disease.

If your ALT result is lower than what’s considered normal, your healthcare provider will likely have you retake the test or undergo further testing to make sure nothing is causing your low level.