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what significance is a slightly elevated bilirubin level in a man in 2 1/2 year remission from Non-Hodgkins lymphoma?
Optional Information: Gender: MaleAge: 70 Already Tried: Nothing. It came up on a regular six month check-up on Dec. 15th. He is now having a problem with gout
Hello,
Thanks for your question.
Do you have the exact results of bilirubin and bilirubin fraction levels? What medications he is taking presently? Are the liver function tests normal?
The results were not there yet when we left. I called back so the nurse looked for the test. Liver was fine. She only said ' a little high' and that the doctor would call us. After she spoke to the doctor, she called back to ask us to come back in January to test again. Her words that time were "slightly elevated". Orville takes Diovan for blood pressure. He had just quit taking Lyrica for shingles pain four days before the test. He is finally getting better as far the shingles go. They started in late August. He is working again, feeling better and getting stronger. He told his oncologist the chemo was a breeze campared to shingles. He never missed work , hard physical work as an oil field welder, while he was being treated for lymphoma. He is retiring the end of this month since he will be 70 next month and he has other things he wants to do besides work.
Thanks for your reply.
Basically without any symptoms of jaudice, and also considering that other liver tests were normal, your doctor has done the right thing to ask you to test again in January. If the levels are still slightly elevated, then further laboratory testing will be required to find out the exact cause for the elevated bilirubin. Presently without the results, an elevated bilirubin level could mean many things. This could be due to medications such as Diovan, which can cause diagnostic interference of serum bilirubin levels in the lab, and also cause elevated liver enzymes as an adverse effect.
Take care.
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