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Test/Monitor Liver Function
  Liver Function, Test/Monitor
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In cases of serious liver pathology, liver enzymes will usually be elevated. This evidence of inflammation or damage will usually result in the need for follow-up testing to discover the cause of the elevations. Liver enzyme tests are usually included in the routine chemistry screens performed at your doctor's office. However, when the liver is merely "sluggish" or "congested", these liver enzymes may not be elevated, yet treatments to improve liver function can reduce symptoms.





Test/Monitor Liver Function can help with the following:
Lab Values  Hypoalbuminemia (A low albumin level)

Laboratory Test Needed

  Liver Function That Should Be Checked

Organ Health

  Hepatitis
  Liver Detoxification / Support Requirement

Tumors, Malignant

  Liver Cancer


KEY
Likely to help
Highly recommended


GLOSSARY

Enzymes (Enzyme)
Specific protein catalysts produced by the cells that are crucial in chemical reactions and in building up or synthesizing most compounds in the body. Each enzyme performs a specific function without itself being consumed. For example, the digestive enzyme amylase acts on carbohydrates in foods to break them down.

Liver (Hepatic)
The largest and one of the most complex organs of the body, the liver is responsible for much of the metabolism of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. It is the site of much of the body's detoxification. It is connected very closely with digestion and the regulation of blood sugar, among many other functions. Found behind the ribs on the right side of the abdomen, it has many important functions such as removing harmful material from the blood, making enzymes and bile that help digest food, and converting food into substances needed for life and growth. Hepatic: Pertaining to the liver.

Pathology (Pathologist)
Disease, particularly one with clear and obvious changes in structure or function; the study of same.




Last updated: Apr 13, 2008


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