What is the reason for increased glutamyl transpeptidase?

Glutamyl transpeptidase is a kind of tissue in the human body. Under normal circumstances, the body is in a healthy state only when the glutamyl transpeptidase is normal. If the glutamyl transpeptidase in the body increases, it will easily lead to some liver diseases. There are many reasons for the increase of glutamyl transpeptidase in the body. This may be caused by alcoholic liver disease and requires detailed examination.

What causes elevated glutamyl transpeptidase?

Glutamyl transpeptidase is a type of enzyme in the human body. This enzyme is widely distributed in human tissues, with the highest concentration in the kidney, followed by the pancreas and liver. During the embryonic period, it is most abundant in the liver. In the liver, it is mainly distributed in the hepatocyte cytoplasm and intrahepatic bile duct epithelium. The γ-GT in normal human serum mainly comes from the liver. The normal value is 3-50U/L (γ-glutamyl-p-nitroaniline method).

What is the reason for elevated glutamyl transpeptidase?

First, when suffering from "acute viral hepatitis", the liver cells adjacent to the necrotic area have hypersynthesis of enzymes, which causes an increase in serum glutamyl transpeptidase. This factor is also the most common and the one that cannot be ignored.

Second, in chronic active "hepatitis", glutamyl transpeptidase is often 1-2 times higher than normal. If it remains elevated for a long time, there may be a tendency towards liver necrosis.

Third, when the intrahepatic or extrahepatic bile duct is obstructed, the excretion of glutamyl transpeptidase is blocked and refluxes into the blood with bile, resulting in elevated glutamyl transpeptidase levels.

Fourth, the glutamyl transpeptidase levels in almost all patients with alcoholic hepatitis and alcoholic cirrhosis are elevated, becoming an important feature of "alcoholic liver disease".

Fifth, in patients with primary or "metastatic liver cancer", glutamyl transpeptidase levels are mostly moderately or highly increased, which can be several times or even dozens of times higher than normal.

Sixth, in the early stages of primary or secondary "biliary cirrhosis", elevated glutamyl transpeptidase levels may also occur.

Seventh, patients with "fatty liver" may also experience elevated glutamyl transpeptidase, but in general, in cases of nutritional fatty liver, the serum glutamyl transpeptidase activity is usually no more than twice the normal value.

If the glutamyl transpeptidase level is high, don't panic first, because it may be caused by physiological reasons. Friends who have glutamyl transpeptidase should go to a regular "liver disease" specialist hospital for a reexamination one week later to ensure the accuracy of the test results. If the glutamyl transpeptidase is still higher than the normal value, a detailed examination is recommended.