Thyroid disease
Hyperthyroidism is when the thyroid gland produces an abnormally high amount of thyroid hormone. Elevated liver enzymes are one of the most common liver dysfunctions associated with hyperthyroidism. In some cases, elevated liver enzymes can also be a sign of underlying autoimmune causes.
In addition, liver enzymes are elevated in a significant proportion of patients with Graves hyperthyroidism, which is usually due to derangement of hepatic enzyme secretion rather than intrinsic liver pathology. Most of these patients are asymptomatic, but a small number may experience severe liver damage leading to liver failure.
The elevated liver enzymes may be due to the direct effect of excess thyroid hormone on the liver or indirectly due to increased sympathetic nervous system activity. Treatment of hyperthyroidism leads to the normalization of liver enzymes in most patients. However, in a small minority of patients, the elevated liver enzymes may be persistent even after successful treatment of hyperthyroidism. The exact reasons for this are unclear, but underlying liver pathology may be independent of the thyroid status.
