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Liver function tests (LFTs or LFs), also referred to as a hepatic panel or liver panel, are groups of blood tests that provide information about the state of a patient's liver. [1] These tests include prothrombin time (PT/INR), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), albumin , bilirubin (direct and indirect), and others.
ALT is usually found only in the liver. AST is most commonly found in the liver, but also in significant amounts in heart and skeletal muscle. [citation needed] Measurement of ALT and AST were used in diagnosing heart attacks, although they have been replaced by newer enzyme and protein tests that are more specific for cardiac damage.
Fatty liver disease (FLD), also known as hepatic steatosis and steatotic liver disease (SLD), is a condition where excess fat builds up in the liver. [1] Often there are no or few symptoms. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] Occasionally there may be tiredness or pain in the upper right side of the abdomen . [ 1 ]
The proportion of AST to ALT in hepatocytes is about 2.5:1, but because AST is removed from serum by the liver sinusoidal cells twice as quickly (serum half-life t 1/2 = 18 hr) compared to ALT (t 1/2 = 36 hr), so the resulting serum levels of AST and ALT are about equal in healthy individuals, resulting in a normal AST/ALT ratio around 1.
Liver failure is the inability of the liver to perform its normal synthetic and metabolic functions as part of normal physiology. Two forms are recognised, acute and chronic (cirrhosis). [ 1 ] Recently, a third form of liver failure known as acute-on-chronic liver failure ( ACLF ) is increasingly being recognized.
Chronic liver disease takes several years to develop and the condition may not be recognised unless there is clinical awareness of subtle signs and investigation of abnormal liver function tests. Testing for chronic liver disease involves blood tests, imaging including ultrasound, and a biopsy of the liver. The liver biopsy is a simple ...
Liver biopsy is often required for the diagnosis of a liver problem (jaundice, abnormal blood tests) where blood tests, such as hepatitis A serology, have not been able to identify a cause. It is also required if hepatitis is possibly the result of medication , but the exact nature of the reaction is unclear.
A complete blood test can help distinguish intrinsic liver disease from extrahepatic bile-duct obstruction. [19] An ultrasound of the liver can reliably detect a dilated biliary-duct system, [20] it can also detect the characteristics of a cirrhotic liver. [21] Computerized tomography (CT) can give accurate anatomical information for a complete ...