The liver is among the most critical organs in the human body. The liver has functions related to digestion, hormone production and metabolism and is an organ that is required for a person to be alive. There is no substitute for a liver or for the functions that are performed by the liver. Therefore it is necessary to make sure that the liver is performing all its functions properly in order to establish the health of the liver and the bearing that an unhealthy liver might have on a patient.
Because of its complicated set of functions, a single test is not possible to check the health of the liver. A multiple range of tests would be needed in order to judge the health of the liver. An abnormal liver blood test is one that is performed when there is a suspicion on the part of the doctor that there is a functional failure in the liver. This test is ordered when a patient presents any of the following symptoms. Jaundice occurs when the liver is not synthesizing a pigment component known as bilirubin which is usually passed through the bile ducts and passed out after digestion has taken place along with the feces. Other liver function failures may cause symptoms such as dark urine, or light-colored bowel movements. Digestive distress is also associated with liver problems and these can present themselves in the form of nausea, diarrhea and vomiting. Digestive distress may also cause a chronic low appetite. A symptom of liver problems is something known as a fatty liver. This is when fat molecules accumulate between the various functioning cells of the liver and cause the liver to be bloated in size. A fatty liver can cause various problems with the functioning of the liver. This may be presented visually when a scan is being performed in the area. A liver that is sore to touch is also symptomatic of a problem.
Liver function tests cover several different components that are expected to be in the blood when the liver is functioning normally. These include Alkaline Phosphatase, Bilirubin and Albumin which is one of the primary proteins produced by the liver. Other protein levels may also indicate liver function problems. Liver function tests also cover Alanine aminotransferase which is associated with hepatitis, a type of liver disease.
A liver function test is conducted by drawing a blood sample and analyzing different drops of blood for the various different components expected to be found in the blood.
Submitted by M T on April 14, 2010 at 12:12