A Basic Understanding of LFT | Book Liver Function Test in Indirapuram

09-06-2017 | Posted By: Kumkum Sharma | 1979 View(s)

The liver is the largest gland in the human body and carries many vital body functions. The liver performs all kind of functions that are critical for our health. It helps to break down food, clean our blood, make proteins and store energy.

If anything goes wrong with the liver, a person may experience many symptoms such as the yellowish colour of the skin, swollen legs and ankles, nausea, loss of appetite and dark urine colour. If you have these symptoms, then you might need a Liver Function Test.

What is the Liver Function Test?

Liver Function Tests help in determining the health of the liver by measuring the levels of proteins, liver enzymes, or bilirubin in the blood.

A Doctor recommends the Liver Function Test to:

 Screen for liver infections, such as Hepatitis C

 Analyse the side effects of certain medications which are known to affect the liver

 Monitor the disease and see how effectively the treatment for liver disease is working

 Measure the degree of scarring (Cirrhosis) on the liver

 Detect the symptoms of a liver disorder

There are various tests which can be performed on the liver; however, most of them do not measure the overall function of the liver.

Some of the common tests used to check liver function are the Alanine Transaminase (ALT), Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST), albumin and bilirubin tests.

The ALT and AST tests are done to measure enzymes that the liver releases in response to damage or disease. The bilirubin and albumin tests are used to measure if the liver creates albumin properly and disposes of bilirubin properly or not.

Suppose if the test results are not normal, then it does not always mean that the patient has a liver disease. One must talk to the Doctor about the test results and then take necessary action.