My 56-year-old mother has a mildly increased bilirubin level. Kindly help.

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I can understand your concern. According to your statement, your mother has recently undergone liver function tests, and some of the liver function tests have become slightly elevated.

Bilirubin (total) level is 1.18 mg/dL, whereas the normal range is 0-1mg/dL; bilirubin (direct) is 0.48 mg/dL, and the normal range is 0-0.25 mg/dL; LDH (lactate dehydrogenase) is 500 U/L, whereas the normal range is 230-460 U/L. So, all three markers of liver function test are slightly raised.

They are not raised as much, which will indicate some serious liver diseases. As your mother is now 55 years old, such mildly raised values can be found in investigation reports due to aging. Again, one investigation report does not confirm anything. Investigation reports may vary from laboratory to laboratory and for many other factors.

Your mother can take complete bed rest and plenty of fluids. Repeat her liver function tests one month later.

I hope this was helpful. Please get back to me if you have further doubts.

Thank you.

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

She will avoid spicy, oily, and fatty foods. As she is a vegetarian, she can carry on her food habits. Take complete bed rest and plenty of fluids, and these will help to bring down her liver function test levels. Vitamin deficiencies like B complex and iron deficiency may cause raised LDH levels, but without doing the investigations, it cannot be confirmed.

She can take Iron and Vitamin B complex-enriched foods or supplements daily. As she feels tired and dizzy, monitor her blood sugar level, blood pressure, oxygen saturation level, etc. Some investigations, like CBC (complete blood count), RBS (random blood sugar), thyroid function tests, etc., can be done initially to find out the underlying etiology and then treat them accordingly.

I hope this was helpful.

Thank you.

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

Thank you for joining again. According to her blood reports, her absolute lymphocyte count is 3.42 thou/microliter. The normal range is 1 to 3 thou/microliter, which is above the normal range. A count significantly higher than 3000 lymphocytes in a microliter of blood is generally considered to be lymphocytosis in adults.

High absolute lymphocyte count or lymphocytosis generally indicates that the body is dealing with an infection, such as bacterial, viral, or fungal, allergies, or other inflammatory conditions. Usually, a temporary increase in absolute lymphocyte count is considered to be a normal effect on the body's immune system.

Lymphocytes help to fight off diseases. So it is quite normal to notice a temporary increase after an Infection. But, occasionally, the absolute lymphocyte count remains elevated due to serious underlying health conditions like leukemia, lymphoma, carcinoma, or any other type of chronic condition.

High lymphocyte count or absolute lymphocytosis may also result from allergies, bacterial infections like tuberculosis, syphilis, or whooping cough, viral infections like hepatitis A, B, or C, infectious mononucleosis, CMV (cytomegalovirus), HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), fungal Infections, hypothyroidism, protozoal infections, or parasitic infestations, leukemia, lymphoma, carcinoma and many more.

High lymphocyte count or absolute lymphocytosis can also be caused by any type of allergic reaction in our body, like atopy, asthma, allergic rhinitis, and worm infestations. According to your statement, your mother has been suffering from itchy rashes in her palms and legs. Lymphocytes play an important role in allergic reactions.

Mast cells and basophils release a variety of chemical mediators and cytokines, which cause allergic reactions. So, your mother's present allergic reactions, like itchy rashes, may cause a high lymphocyte count or absolute lymphocytosis. Your mother can take antihistamines like Fexofenadine or Cetirizine orally and apply mild corticosteroid creams like Hydrocortisone cream on her itchy rashes in the palms and legs.

If needed, then oral corticosteroids can also be taken.

Take care.

In case of any other query, ask me.

Thank you.

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

Thank you for joining again.

Hydrocortisone cream is available as Efficort Hydrocortisone ointment, Cutisoft cream, Lycor cream, Tendrone lotion, and Hydrocortisone ointment. Use Hydrocortisone topical cream twice daily on her itchy rash area.

According to her thyroid function test reports, all parameters are within the normal range. So, she can continue taking Thyronorm 100 mg. As I have already mentioned, lymphocytosis is temporary and not serious. It may result from allergies or any type of bacterial, viral, or fungal Infections.

Complete bed rest, daily taking of a balanced diet, plenty of fluid intake, and taking green leafy vegetables daily help to bring back her lymphocyte count to a normal level. If her itchy rashes persist for a long time, then she needs to do some investigations. At present, she does not need to undergo any investigations.

If she wants, then hepatobiliary system ultrasound or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), skin prick test, and RAST test (radioallergosorbent) can be done. Repeat her CBC (complete blood count) after a month.

Take care. In case of any other query, ask me.

I hope this helps.

Thank you.