The liver performs many important functions to maintain a normal life of a person.
1) This is a filter that cleanses the body of toxins, through which drugs and alcohol pass.
2) The liver synthesizes proteins, which, in particular, are responsible for blood clotting.
3) The liver also creates stores of carbohydrates, which can be spent in case of stress or a critical situation.
4) This huge iron produces bile acids, which are needed to process the fats that we eat.
This is its main function.In fact, the list is much broader. The doctor must tell you what tests to take to check the liver, based on your situation. It's one thing if you want to undergo a planned test, another thing - you have yellow skin, darkened urine, it hurts on the right under the rib, the blood does not stop for a long time after the trauma.
Basic liver tests are called hepatic assays.They can be taken in a polyclinic at the place of residence or in a paid laboratory (on an empty stomach). The results should be evaluated by a therapist (or infectious disease specialist). It is on the basis of these indicators, if they are not normal, the specialist says what tests to hand over to check the liver. An additional list of studies will help clarify the picture!
So, the main indicators of hepatic samples:
1. Albumin. It is a protein produced in the liver. His norm is 65-85 grams in a liter of blood. If it is below 60, then it is necessary to conduct treatment in a hospital.
2. Bilirubin. It is a product of the metabolism of hemoglobin from erythrocytes. It is common, direct and indirect. Usually, the lab determines the total, and only one of its fractions.
The total bilirubin has a norm - up to 18.5 mmol / liter. An increase in its quantity requires further clarification of the cause. The doctor tells the patient what tests to take to check the liver additionally.
Indirect bilirubin (normal 2.5-13, 8 μmol / L, ornot more than 75% of the total) should be evaluated together with common bilirubin. If necessary, direct bilirubin can be calculated. This is necessary in order to distinguish liver disease from a disease with increased disintegration of red blood cells: if both the general and indirect indicators are higher than normal, then most likely the pathology is in red blood cells. If the general is raised or increased at the expense of a direct bilirubin, it is necessary to search for disease of a liver or bile-excreting ways. In this situation, the following analysis helps.
3. ALT (alanine aminotransferase).This enzyme speaks of liver health. If it is more than 0.6 IU / L * min (there are other units of measurement), this indicates inflammation of the liver itself. Such situations can be with toxic hepatitis (poisoning with poisons, fungi, drugs, alcohol), liver cirrhosis, viral hepatitis.
Sometimes the ALT score is evaluated jointly with the AST. This helps to distinguish the disease of the heart muscle (then ALT also rises, but it correlates with the rise of AST) from liver disease.
If there are deviations in these indicators, the doctor (and not the laboratory assistant) should tell you which tests to take to check the liver additionally.
