Increased gamma-GT, how to bounce back?

To diagnose liver or pancreatic disease, you can donate blood from the vein to the GGT. This abbreviation stands for Gamma-Glutamyltranspeptidase. If you have obtained results in which the gamma GT has been increased, this may indicate gallstones, toxic liver damage, alcoholism, diabetes, acute or chronic phase pancreatitis, hyperthyroidism, even prostate, liver or pancreatic cancer. But do not panic in advance. This indicator can be overestimated if you take oral contraceptives, estrogens or other medications that affect the test results.

When it is recommended to take GGT

If you are aware of your problems with the liver, pancreas, kidneys, or other digestive organs, then most likely you have repeatedly donated venous blood in order to determine the gamma-GT index.

Control it is necessary if you know that you have the following ailments:

- chronic hepatitis, including its form without manifestation of jaundice,

- cancer of the pancreas, liver or prostate;

- dependence on alcohol, with which you are struggling.

With cancer, GGT is used to monitor the effectiveness of treatment, for the same purpose, it is looked at in the fight against addiction to alcohol.

Find out whether gamma gamma is increased or not, also in order to diagnose liver damage that is accompanied by cholestasis. This can be, for example, with viral or congenital hepatitis and mechanical jaundice, atresia of the biliary tract. This indicator is followed after myocardial infarction. In addition, to ascertain whether the elevated gamma gamma in the blood level or not, can be used to test the hepatotoxicity of drugs.

The causes and mechanism of increasing enzyme activity

Gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase takes a direct part in the exchange of amino acids. It is the catalyst for the transfer from gamma-glutamyl peptide to gamma-glutamyl residue. The main organ, where this enzyme is located , are the kidneys: in them, its content is 7000 times higher than the amount in the blood serum. In the liver GGT more 200-500 times, its content is not too different in the pancreas. It is also present in the intestines, spleen, heart, brain, skeletal muscles and prostate.

The analysis of gamma-GT increased usually due to the increased activity of this enzyme. And it manifests itself in the event that there are problems with the liver or bile ducts. Normally, the activity of GGT is negligible, it is directly related to the excretion of the enzyme, which is synthesized in the liver. That is why even with the appearance of minor problems gamma-GT increases.

Diagnosis of diseases

Depending on the overall clinical picture, other blood indicators and research results, the doctor may presume the development of certain diseases in you. So, gamma-GT can be increased with the following ailments:

1. Cholestasis - the amount of the enzyme grows with both extrahepatic and intrahepatic form of the disease. Thus there are such problems as stones in the gallbladder, mechanical jaundice caused by a liver tumor, cholangitis.

2. Acute hepatitis of viral etiology, various toxic diseases.

3. Hepatitis in chronic form.

4. Pancreatitis - GGT will be increased both in acute form and in chronic course.

5. Alcoholism.

6. Oncological diseases of the liver, pancreas or prostate.

In addition, if you take oral contraceptives, barbiturates, estrogens, cephalosporins, then the gamma-GT level can also be increased. You should not try to diagnose your illness yourself, only a doctor can fix them.

GGT level and age

If you go to donate blood to find out the level of gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase, then you need to remember the following. Normally, it is low, but the results will depend on sex and age. Also, do not rely on data from other laboratories, only look at the standards that are indicated in the results of the study. The determined level depends on the units of measurement and on the equipment used.

For example, in some laboratories it is indicated that gamma-HT is increased if it is more than 36 for women and 64 U / L for men. At the same time, it is permissible for children to increase the amount of the enzyme 2 or even 4 times.

In other laboratories there is a division according to age. Thus, for adult women, the number of enzymes in the range from 6 to 42 is the norm, for men - from 10 to 71. For adolescents aged 12 to 17 years, the amount of GGT in serum should not exceed 33 U / L in girls and 45 in Young men. Regardless of sex at the age of 6-12 years, the upper limit of the norm is considered indicative up to 17 U / l, from 3 to 6 - up to 23, from 1 to 3 to 18, from 6 to 12 months - to 34.

A slightly different picture with newborns, in which the work of all the systems of the body is just getting better. It's okay if at the age of up to 5 days GGT will be at the level of 185, and up to 6 months it can even rise to 204 U / l.

How to interpret the results

Even if you have received tests in which gamma-HT is increased, you should not panic. To establish the diagnosis, only information about the activity of this enzyme in the blood serum is small. It is important to clarify the reaction of GGT to aminotransferases - GGT / AST or the ratio of GGT and ALT - it determines the spread of cholestasis against cell membranes. Also, the interaction of gamma-GT with other enzymes responsible for the development of cholestasis, for example, to alkaline phosphatase, is elucidated.

If the level of GGT exceeds the norm by 50 times, while the indices for other enzymes are not changed too much, this indicates alcoholism. In addition, it will be increased in people who smoke more than two packs of cigarettes a day, are obese or eaten before giving the test. Please note, if the body mass index exceeds 30 kg / m ² , then GGT can be more by 50%.

Treatment and correction of indicators

If the results of gamma-GT analyzes are increased, how to correct this indicator, it is necessary to determine with the doctor. After all, it is necessary to treat not the level of the enzyme, but the cause that caused its increase. So, if it is increased because of excessive consumption of alcohol, then the only way out is to refuse alcohol.

In other cases, one can not do without consulting a specialist. If we are talking, for example, about pancreatitis, then a diet is important, in which it is necessary to abandon fried and fatty foods, chocolate, coffee. It is also good to take medications that affect the work of the liver. Some patients with hepatitis are prescribed a drug such as Ursofalk. It can also be used with the jaundice of newborns to help normalize the functioning of the liver.