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Liver Function Tests

What Are Liver Function Tests

Liver function tests (LFTs) are blood tests that measure different enzymes and proteins in the liver, including albumin and globulin. These tests can be used to detect liver disease, such as hepatitis, cirrhosis, or jaundice, or to monitor the effects of drug therapy.

Why Do You Need a Liver Function Test?

Your doctor may recommend a liver function test when you show signs of liver damage or a liver disorder. Signs and symptoms of liver disease include yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice), dark urine, pale stools, itching, and fatigue. The test can help to assess your overall liver health and detect any underlying conditions affecting your liver.

How Do You Prepare for a Liver Function Test?

No special preparation is necessary for a liver function test. However, your doctor may suggest that you avoid taking any medications that might affect your liver function before the test.

Procedures

A liver function test is usually done as part of a routine physical examination. The sample of blood for the test is usually taken from the arm. The sample is then sent to a laboratory for analysis. The results are usually available within a few days.

Types of Liver Function Tests

  • Aspartate aminotransferase (AST): This test measures the levels of AST in the blood. High levels of AST can indicate liver damage.
  • Alanine aminotransferase (ALT): This test measures the levels of ALT in the blood. High levels of ALT can indicate liver damage.
  • Alkaline phosphatase (ALP): This test measures the levels of ALP in the blood. High levels of ALP can indicate liver damage or certain other medical conditions.
  • Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT): This test measures the levels of GGT in the blood. High levels of GGT can indicate liver damage or certain other medical conditions.
  • Total bilirubin: This test measures the amount of bilirubin in the blood. High levels of bilirubin can indicate liver damage, or diseases of the gallbladder or bile ducts.
  • Albumin: This test measures the levels of albumin in the blood. Low levels of albumin can indicate liver damage.

Risks of Liver Function Tests

Liver function tests are generally safe and are not associated with any serious risks. You may experience slight pain or bruising around the area where the blood sample was taken.

When to Get Tested

If your doctor suspects you may have a liver disease or disorder, they may recommend a liver function test. The test may also be recommended if you are taking medications that may affect your liver or if you have been exposed to any substances that could potentially damage your liver.

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Related Questions

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below.The Italian banking system became the model for those North European nations that would achieve the greatest commercial success in the coming centuries, notably the Dutch, the English, and the Swedes. It was in Amsterdam, London and Stockholm that the next decisive wave of financial or innovation occurred, as the forerunners of modern central banks made their first appearance. The seventeenth century saw the foundation of three distinctly novel institutions that, in their differen in ways, were intended to serve a public as well as a private financial function. The Amsterdam Exchange Bank, i.e. the Wisselbank, was set up in 1609 to resolve the practical problems created for merchants by the circulation of multiple currencies in the United Provinces, where there were no fewer than fourteen different mints and copious quantities of foreign coins. By allowing merchants to set up accounts denominated in a standardized currency, the Exchange Bank pioneered the system of cheques and direct debits or transfers that we take for granted today. This allowed more and more commercial transactions to take place without the need for the sums involved to materialize in actual coins. Financial historians disagree as to how far the growth of banking after the seventeenth century can be credited with the acceleration of economic growth that began in Britain in the late eighteenth 20 5 century and then spread to Western Europe, North America and Australasia. But banks played a more important role in continental European industrialization than they did in England's.a) Where did the precursors of modern central banks make their first appearance? b) What practical problem was the Wisselbank required to resolve in its initial days?c) How did the Amsterdam Exchange Bank respond to the demand of the age? d) What are the points of disagreement among the financial historians with respect to growth of banking vis-a-vis growth of economy? e) Choose a suitable title for above composition.
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