What should I do next if I have abnormal liver profile test results on a health screening? (photo)

Doctor's Answer

Photo of Dr Wai Leong Quan
Dr Wai Leong Quan

Gastroenterologist

The elevation of the liver enzymes can suggest a few possibilities. The commonest cause of liver enzyme elevation of this magnitude is fatty liver which can be picked up most times by doing a simple ultrasound scan of her liver.

Patients with fatty liver may also have concurrent diabetes, hypertension or elevated cholesterol level. They tend to be slightly overweight as well.

Other causes include undiagnosed viral hepatitis infection, mostly Hepatitis B or C. You can scan through her results to see if such causes have already been excluded during her health screening. Besides that, health supplements and medicine may cause liver function abnormalities. In such cases, the liver enzymes usually normalise when the culprit medicine or supplement is stopped.

May I advise your mom to pay her doctor a visit say a few weeks later to see if the enzyme levels are still high. If so, she should consider seeing a specialist to get her problem sorted out.

Dr Quan

Ask any health question for free

I’m not so sure about a procedure...

Ask Icon Ask a Question

Join Human

Sign up now for a free Human account to get answers from specialists in Singapore.

Sign Up

Get The Pill

Be healthier with our Bite-sized health news straight in your inbox