How to check liver function?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is expertly consulted by MSc.BSCKII Phan Thi Minh Huong - Gastroenterologist, Vinmec Danang International General Hospital.
Liver function test is the process of evaluating the activity and status of liver cells through blood test indicators, ultrasound,... Liver function test helps doctors diagnose most accurately diseases. encountered by the liver and timely treatment regimens. The following article will give you information about how to check liver function, what is the purpose and what to note when doing the test,...

1. How is liver function tested?

Liver function test is a test to diagnose and monitor liver disease or damage. This test measures the levels of proteins and enzymes in the blood. These enzymes are special proteins that act as catalysts and promote body reactions. Enzyme levels in the blood indicate the extent of liver damage. Besides, the test will help you know if the liver is working properly or not.
If the liver function is not normal, it can lead to symptoms such as: Weak limbs, body fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea,...
Physiological function of the liver is very complicated, so liver function tests are also extremely diverse. Doctors will choose typical categories to find out if the liver is working properly. Currently, the liver function test items are relatively many, mainly including testing the concentration of Alanine Aminotransferase, Aspartate Aminotransferase, Valley Acyl genetic Titan Enzyme, the concentration of direct Bilirubin bile pigment, Indirect Bilirubin,...
Through the test results, the specialist can diagnose and evaluate the liver function and make adjustments if it is not working well to avoid affecting the patient's health.
Most patients with liver diseases such as: Hepatitis B, hepatitis C, cirrhosis, fatty liver, ... can cause liver function to decline, so the damage that the disease can cause. for the liver and the patient's health is unpredictable. However, to accurately assess the extent of liver damage in people with liver disease, it is necessary to do some other diagnostics such as: Liver ultrasound, tomography, magnetic resonance imaging to monitor the image of the liver. liver.

Trắc nghiệm: Làm thế nào để bảo vệ lá gan khỏe mạnh?

Làm test trắc nghiệm kiểm tra hiểu biết về gan có thể giúp bạn nhận thức rõ vai trò quan trọng của gan, từ đó có các biện pháp bảo vệ gan để phòng ngừa bệnh tật.

2. Purpose of liver function test

Those who need to check and evaluate liver function: People who use a lot of alcohol; soon-to-be-married; women during pregnancy; people who have unprotected sex; people who have not been vaccinated against hepatitis B; people with obesity, diabetes, fatty blood,...
The purposes of liver function tests include:
Early detection of liver diseases. Monitor the progression of the disease: Viral hepatitis or some other hepatitis to assess whether the current treatment regimen is effective or not. Monitor drug side effects. Assess severity of disease, especially cirrhosis.

3. What does liver function test include?


Xét nghiệm máu đông là dấu hiệu để đánh giá rối loạn chức năng gan nhất định.
Xét nghiệm máu đông là dấu hiệu để đánh giá rối loạn chức năng gan nhất định.
Liver function tests include:
Total protein - Albumin - A/G ratio Protein in the serum mainly consists of Albumin and Globulin, the ratio between these components is the A/G ratio.
Low total protein values ​​(hypoproteinemia) are mostly due to albumin depletion, commonly seen in people with malnutrition, heart failure lesions, pregnancy, malignancies, syndromes nephrotic. This high value is largely due to an increase in Globulin, which is often seen in people with dehydration, collagen vascular disease, myeloma, ...
Total Bilirubin - Direct Bilirubin Bilirubin is a pigment formed from the breakdown of hemoglobin (Hemoglobin) when red blood cells are broken down.
Depending on the time before or after being broken down in the liver, they are divided into 2 types: indirect and direct. The knockout is increased when there is liver damage such as hepatitis or cirrhosis, or when there is damage to the bile ducts such as gallstones; indirect type increases with hemolytic jaundice. Depending on the body, there are also people with high values ​​(physiological jaundice).
AST (GOT) This is an enzyme found in the heart, liver, and skeletal muscle.
In case of liver damage or myocardial infarction, it is released from internal organs into the blood and shows high value. There are also cases where this index increases after exercise.
ALT (GPT) This is an enzyme found mainly in the liver, showing high value in liver disease or bile duct disease.

Kiểm tra chức năng gan.
Kiểm tra chức năng gan.
GGT (Gama-glutamyl-transferase) is an enzyme that is elevated when there is an abnormality in the liver.
In many cases, this index is elevated due to alcohol consumption, so this is an indicator of liver damage caused by alcohol. If you have fatty liver disease, metabolic syndrome related to insulin resistance, when regularly using drugs such as antiepileptic drugs, psychotropic drugs, sleeping pills, this index also increases.
ALP (alkaline phosphatase) is an enzyme found in the liver, bile, bones, small intestine, placenta.
This index is increased when there are liver and biliary diseases, especially when there is spasm or obstruction of the bile duct. This index is also high in children who are in the period of bone development, women after pregnancy, the recovery period after fractures, people with hyperthyroidism, metastatic bone cancer. Low index when suffering from chronic kidney disease, vitamin C deficiency, hypothyroidism. Because this enzyme is found in many internal organs, it is difficult to assess its association with specific pathology.
LDH (Lactate Dehydrogenase) Is an enzyme that works when converting Glucose into energy, widely distributed throughout the organs in the whole body, such as in the liver, heart, kidneys, lungs, brain, muscles, red blood cells, ..
This index increases with leukemia, malignancies such as malignant lymphoma, and increases even after exercise. Therefore, it is a difficult test to assess the relevance of a specific disease.
>>> What does liver function test include? Instructions for viewing liver test indicators.

4. Notes when testing liver function

Should do test in the morning Liver function test in the early morning will give the most accurate results.
Do not eat before the test Normally, to do liver function tests, it is necessary to fast for at least 4-6 hours for accurate results.
Do not use any drugs Medicines such as: antibiotics, tonics, medicines, ... absolutely must not be used before the test. The use of drugs will affect the results of the indicators in the test.
Do not drink alcohol, tobacco All types of stimulants containing nicotine or alcoholic beverages are not good for your health. Also, they cause test readings to be misleading, so you need to stop using alcohol or tobacco at least 4 hours before the test.

Kiểm tra chức năng gan 6 tháng / 1 lần để theo dõi sức khỏe.
Kiểm tra chức năng gan 6 tháng / 1 lần để theo dõi sức khỏe.
Liver function tests are essential. Patients can still feel healthy and do normal activities without thinking that they are at risk of liver disease, may progress to cirrhosis or liver cancer, and may even have severe liver failure. danger to life. Therefore, we need to monitor our health by having regular liver function tests every 6 months to be able to detect early and prevent possible bad situations.

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