To assess liver health and whether it’s working properly, your doctor may order blood tests, an ultrasound, or even a biopsy, examples that provide important information about changes that may occur in your body.
The liver is involved in the digestion and metabolism of food and is also responsible for metabolizing the drugs ingested, since in case of liver dysfunction the person may have more difficulty digesting fats properly, need to follow a special diet and avoid taking medications without a doctor. Learn more about liver function.
Tests your doctor may order to assess liver health include
Even if your doctor needs to evaluate liver health, you need to request a blood test for your liver profile or hepatogram that shows: AST, ALT, GGT, albumin, bilirubin, dehydrogenase lactate, and prothrombin time, these tests are usually ordered together and provide important information about the condition of the liver, which, when an injury occurs in that organ, changes due to highly sensitive markers. Learn how to understand the ALT test and the AST test.
These tests may also be requested when the person has symptoms that indicate liver disease, such as yellow and yellow eyes, dark bones, abdominal pain, or swelling in the liver area. However, your doctor may also order these tests when you need to evaluate the liver of a person who takes medication daily, consumes alcoholic beverages, or has a condition that directly or indirectly affects you.
Ultrasound, elastography, CT and MRI can be shown through images generated on a computer as found in the liver structure, identifying the presence of cysts or tumors, in addition to this, can be useful in some cases, to evaluate blood flowing through the organ.
Your doctor usually requests this type of test when blood tests are changed or when your liver is severely inflamed, it may also be indicated after a car or sports accident when there is a risk of organic injury.
A biopsy is usually requested when your doctor has noticed significant changes in test results, such as an increase in ALAT, AST, or GGT, and especially when a lump is found in your liver during ultrasound.
This test may indicate whether liver cells are normal, if they are severely affected by diseases such as cirrhosis, or if cancer cells exist, so that the abuse can be diagnosed and prescribed, the biopsy is performed with a needle entering the liver and liver, being removed from small organs, which are then sent to the lab and analyzed under a microscope.