Gallstones, or tiny pebbles made up of cholesterol deposits that develop in your gallbladder, usually don't cause symptoms, but if they do, you might face severe pain or even require emergency medical assistance. Elevated liver enzymes don't cause gallstones. However, if you have both elevated liver enzymes and gallstones, your gallstones might also be causing pancreatitis. This is a potentially serious condition, and your doctor will advise you on the steps you need to take to safeguard your health.
Basics
Your gallbladder works to store and release digestive juices, or enzymes, for use in digesting fat and other nutrients you eat. Gallstones seem to form when your gallbladder doesn't work as effectively as possible to contract and expel those digestive enzymes when they're needed in your stomach. Some groups are more prone to gallstones. For example, women develop gallstones at a rate twice as high as men, and people who are overweight risk gallstones more often than people who carry a normal amount of weight.
Condition
Elevated liver enzymes can stem from a wide variety of conditions, some of which are serious and some of which are benign. In some cases, both your gallstones and your elevated liver enzymes stem from the same condition. For example, fatty liver disease -- which, like gallstones, is associated with being overweight -- often causes elevated liver enzymes. However, elevated liver enzymes are a symptom, not a disease; they cannot cause gallstones, but they might appear in concert with gallstones.
Warning
If you have tiny gallstones, they might be small enough to pass from your gallbladder down your bile duct to your pancreas. At this point, they might block that duct, leading to an accumulation of digestive bile in your pancreas. This causes acute pancreatitis, a medical emergency that requires immediate treatment. The symptoms of acute pancreatitis look a lot like those of an inflamed gallbladder, making it difficult to tell the difference between the two conditions. However, if you have acute pancreatitis, your liver enzymes will be elevated, making your doctor's diagnosis easier.
Considerations
Your physician may opt to use medical imaging such as ultrasounds or CT scans to determine whether you have acute pancreatitis caused by gallstones. She'll also likely order more medical tests, including tests that look specifically at the function of your pancreas. Once she determines the correct diagnosis and the severity of your condition, your physician will advise you on what treatment will be needed. If your pancreatitis becomes a chronic condition, you may ultimately need surgery to correct the problem.
References
- National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse: Gallstones
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Characteristics of Liver Disease; Feb. 6, 2008
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Gallstones and Gallbladder Disease; June 26, 2009
- Medical University of South Carolina: Chronic Pancreatitis - Gallstone Pancreatitis
