Liver Function Tests

Original Editor - Shwe Shwe U Marma Top Contributors - Shwe Shwe U Marma, Lucinda hampton and Kim Jackson

Introduction[edit | edit source]

Groups of blood tests performed to know the condition of a liver of a patient are known as liver function tests (LFT) or liver panel or hepatic function panel or hepatic panel.[1]

Image showing liver

Components of Liver Function Tests[edit | edit source]

Alanine Transaminase (ALT); Normal value: 0-45 IU/L

Aspartate Transaminase (AST); Normal value: 0-35 IU/L[2]

Causes of raised transaminases:
Alkaline phosphatase (ALP); Normal value: 30–120 IU/l[2]
Causes of raised ALP:
  • Physiological
    • Women in the third trimester of pregnancy.
    • Adolescents.
    • Benign, familial (due to increased intestinal ALP).
  • Pathological
    • Bile duct obstruction.
    • Primary biliary cirrhosis.
    • Primary sclerosing cholangitis.
    • Drug induced cholestasis—for example, anabolic steroids.
    • Adult bile ductopenia.
    • Metastatic liver disease.
    • Bone disease.[3]
Gammaglutamyl transferase (GGT); Normal value: 0 to 30 IU/L[2]
Causes of raised GGT:
Bilirubin; Normal value: 2 to 17 micromoles/L[2]
Causes of isolated hyperbilirubinemia:
  • Unconjugated
    1. Increased bilirubin production.
      • Hemolysis.
      • Ineffective erythropoiesis.
      • Blood transfusion.
      • Resorption of hematomas.
    2. Decreased hepatic uptake.
    3. Decreased conjugation.
      • Gilbert’s syndrome.
      • Criggler-Najjar syndrome.
      • Physiological jaundice of the newborn.
  • Conjugated
    1. Dubin-Johnson syndrome.
    2. Rotor’s syndrome.[3]
Prothrombin time; Normal value: 10.9 to 12.5 seconds[2]
Causes of prolonged prothrombin time:
  • Vitamin K deficiency.
  • Warfarin therapy.
  • Liver disease.
  • Consumptive coagulopathy.[3]
Albumin; Normal value: 40 to 60 g/L[2]
With progressive liver disease serum albumin levels fall, reflecting decreased synthesis. Albumin levels are dependant on a number of other factors such as the nutritional status, catabolism, hormonal factors, and urinary and gastrointestinal losses.[3]

[4]

Resources[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Teshome G, Ambachew S, Fasil A, Abebe M. Prevalence of liver function test abnormality and associated factors in type 2 diabetes mellitus: a comparative cross-sectional study. Ejifcc. 2019 Oct;30(3):303.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Lala V, Goyal A, Bansal P, Minter D. Liver function tests. StatPearls. 2020 Apr 28.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Limdi JK, Hyde GM. Evaluation of abnormal liver function tests. Postgraduate medical journal. 2003 Jun 1;79(932):307-12.
  4. ↑ MedCram - Medical Lectures Explained CLEARLY. Liver Function Tests (LFTs) Explained Clearly by MedCram.com. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFdTgty0T0I [Last accessed 29 November, 2020]
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