Medical Questions » Pathology Questions » Question No. 778
| Question: | My doctor says I have to stop my wine drinking because my GGT is high. What on earth is GGT and why is it affected by wine? |
| Answer: | Liver function tests are performed on a sample of blood and measure the presence of certain enzymes in the blood that are produced by the liver. If these enzymes are present in excessive quantities, the liver is under stress or damaged. Conditions such as hepatitis, liver abscess, gall bladder disease, cancer, drug reactions (eg. to epilepsy medications) and alcoholism may cause abnormal liver enzyme levels.
One particular enzyme, gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), is usually raised in association with alcohol abuse. The fact that your level of this enzyme is raised indicates that too much alcohol has been entering your body, thus your doctor' s warning ro slow down before more serious liver damage occurs.
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