LIVER  HEALTH  PANEL       

$58.00 

A Liver Health Panel, also known as Liver (hepatic) Function Tests or LFT, is used to detect liver damage or disease. It usually includes seven tests that are run at the same time on a blood sample. These include:

The total protein test is a rough measure of all of the proteins in the plasma portion of your blood. Proteins are important building blocks of all cells and tissues; they are important for body growth and health. Total protein measures the combined amount of two classes of proteins, albumin and globulin. Albumin is a carrier of many small molecules, but its main purpose is to keep fluid from leaking out of blood vessels, while globulin proteins include enzymes, antibodies, and more than 500 other proteins. The ratio of albumin to globulin (A/G ratio) is calculated from values obtained by direct measurement of total protein and albumin. It represents the relative amounts of albumin and globulins.

   Albumin is the most abundant protein in the blood plasma It keeps fluid from leaking out of blood vessels; nourishes tissues; and transports hormones, vitamins, drugs, and ions like calcium throughout the body. Albumin is made in the liver and is extremely sensitive to liver damage.    The concentration of albumin drops when the liver is damaged, with kidney disease (nephrotic syndrome), when a person is malnourished, if a person experiences inflammation in the body, or with shock. Albumin increases when a person is dehydrated.
   Albumin is made in the liver and is the major protein of the blood, helping to keep water in blood vessels and transport substances. Decreased albumin levels can be associated with malnutrition, liver disease, and kidney disease.

  Total protein measures the combined amount of two classes of proteins, albumin and globulin. Albumin is a carrier of many small molecules, but its main purpose is to keep fluid from leaking out of blood vessels, while globulin proteins include enzymes, antibodies, and more than 500 other proteins. The immunoglobulin  are the globulins of our immune systems and of antibodies while many other globulin are carriers of hormones or important components of enzymes.

 The total protein test is a rough measure of all of the proteins in the plasma portion of your blood. Proteins are important building blocks of all cells and tissues; they are important for body growth and health. Total protein measures the combined amount of two classes of proteins, albumin and globulin. Albumin is a carrier of many small molecules, but its main purpose is to keep fluid from leaking out of blood vessels, while globulin proteins include enzymes, antibodies, and more than 500 other proteins. The ratio of albumin to globulin (A/G ratio) is calculated from values obtained by direct measurement of total protein and albumin. It represents the relative amounts of albumin and globulins. Normally, there is a little more albumin than globulins, giving a normal A/G ratio of slightly over.

   Alkaine phosphate is an enzyme, a protein that helps cells work. You find alkaline phosphate in high concentrations in the cells that make bone and in the liver. In the liver, it is found on the edges of cells that join to form bile ducts (tiny tubes that drain bile from the liver to the bowels where it is needed to help digest fat in the diet). Smaller amounts of ALP are found in the placenta (afterbirth) of women who are pregnant, and in the bowel. Each of these body parts makes different forms of ALP. The different forms are called isoenzymes. 

   When a person has evidence of liver disease, very high ALP levels can tell the doctor that the person’s bile ducts are somehow blocked. Often, ALP is high in persons who have cancer that has spread to the liver or the bones, and doctors can do further testing to see if this has happened. If a person with bone or liver cancer responds to treatment, ALP levels will decrease. When a person has high levels of ALP, and the doctor is not sure why, s/he may also order ALP isoenzyme tests to try to determine the cause.
     In some forms of liver disease, such as hepatitis, ALP is usually much less elevated than AST and ALT. When the bile ducts are blocked (usually by gallstones, scars from previous gallstones or surgery, or by cancers), ALP and bilirubin may be increased much more than AST or ALT. In a few liver diseases, ALP may be the only test that is high.

As red blood cells normally age and break down, bilirubin—a by-product—is released into the blood and is cleared by the liver.  Bilirubin is an orange-yellow pigment found in bile. Red blood cells (RBCs) normally degrade after 120 days in the circulation. At this time, a component of the RBCs, hemoglobin (the red-colored pigment of red blood cells that carries oxygen to tissues), breaks down into bilirubin. Approximately 250 to 350 mg of bilirubin is produced daily in a normal, healthy adult, of which 85% is derived from damaged or old red cells that have died, with the remaining amount from the bone marrow or liver.  High bilirubin values may indicate a liver function problem, bile duct blockage, or excessive destruction of red blood cells.

Unconjugated bilirubin is carried to the liver, where sugars are attached to it, producing conjugated bilirubin. This conjugated bilirubin is passed to the bile by the liver and is further broken down by bacteria in the small intestines and eventually excreted in the feces, of which the characteristic color is due to the break down of bilirubin. Some bile is stored in the gall bladder. As bilirubin levels increase, the appearance of jaundice becomes more evident. Normally, almost all bilirubin in the blood is unconjugated.
 

  AST {Aspartate aminotransferase} which used to be called SGOT is an enzyme found mostly in the heart and liver, and to a lesser extent in other muscles. When liver or muscle cells are injured, they release AST into the blood. Testing for AST is usually used to detect liver damage.
   AST levels are also often compared with levels of other liver enzymes, alakline phosphatase ( ALP) and alanine aminotransferase ( ALT), to determine which form of liver disease is present.
   Even though AST is found in heart and other muscles, another enzyme, cratine kinase ( CK), is present in much higher amounts and is usually used to detect heart or muscle injury.

An AST test is ordered along with several other tests to evaluate a patient who seems to have symptoms of a liver disorder. Some of these symptoms include jaundice (yellowing of the eyes and skin), dark urine, nausea, vomiting, abdominal swelling, unusual weight gain, and abdominal pain. AST can also be ordered, either by itself or with other tests, for:

Persons who have mild symptoms, such as fatigue, may be tested for ALT to make sure they do not have chronic liver disease. ALT is often measured to monitor treatment of persons with liver disease, and may be ordered either by itself or along with other tests.

Very high levels of AST (more than 10 times the highest normal level) are usually due to acute hepatitis, often due to a virus infection. In acute hepatitis, AST levels usually stay high for about 1–2 months, but can take as long as 3–6 months to return to normal. In chronic hepatitis, AST levels are usually not as high, often less than 4 times the highest normal level. In chronic hepatitis, AST often varies between normal and slightly increased, so doctors typically will order the test frequently to determine the pattern.

In some diseases of the liver, especially when the bile ducts are blocked, or with cirrhosis and certain cancers of the liver, AST may be close to normal, but it increases more often than ALT. When liver damage is due to alcohol, AST often increases much more than ALT (this is a pattern seen with few other liver diseases). AST is also increased after heart attacks and with muscle injury, usually to a much greater degree than is ALT.

Pregnancy may decrease AST levels. A shot or injection of medicine into muscle tissue, or even strenuous exercise, may increase AST levels. In rare instances, some drugs can damage the liver or muscle, increasing AST levels. This is true of both prescription drugs and some “natural” health products. If your doctor finds that you have high levels of AST, tell him or her about all the drugs and health products you are taking. 

ALT (Alanine Aminotransferase) which used to be called SGTP is an enzyme found mostly in the liver; smaller amounts of it are also in the kidneys, heart, and muscles. Under normal conditions, ALT levels in the blood are low. When the liver is damaged, ALT is released into the blood stream, usually before more obvious symptoms of liver damage occur, such as jaundice (yellowing of the eyes and skin).

The ALT test detects liver injury. ALT values are usually compared to the levels of other enzymes, such as alkaline phosphatase ( ALP) and aspartate aminotransferase ( AST) to help determine which form of liver disease is present.

A physician usually orders an ALT test (and several others) to evaluate a patient who has symptoms of a liver disorder. Some of these symptoms include jaundice, dark urine, nausea, vomiting, abdominal swelling, unusual weight gain, and abdominal pain. ALT can also be ordered, either by itself or with other tests, for:

In persons with mild symptoms, such as fatigue or loss of energy, ALT may be tested to make sure they do not have chronic liver disease. ALT is often used to monitor the treatment of persons who have liver disease, to see if the treatment is working, and may be ordered either by itself or along with other tests.

 

LIVER  HEALTH  PANEL

$58.00

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