Liver Function Tests: The Crucial Role in Diagnosing Liver Disease

PACE Hospitals Podcast

Liver function tests (LFTs) are a set of blood tests used to examine the health and functioning of your liver. These tests measure levels of various enzymes, proteins, and substances that indicate how well your liver works. Standard tests include ALT (alanine aminotransferase), AST (aspartate aminotransferase), ALP (alkaline phosphatase), bilirubin, and albumin.

Elevated levels of ALT and AST can signal liver damage, while high ALP levels may indicate a bile duct obstruction. Bilirubin, a waste product, helps determine if the liver is appropriately processing red blood cells. Abnormal results may suggest liver conditions, including hepatitis, cirrhosis, fatty liver disease, or liver cancer.

Join the PACE Hospitals Podcast with Dr Govind Verma - Interventional Gastroenterologist, Transplant Hepatologist and Endosonologist at PACE Hospitals, Hitech City, Hyderabad, India, to understand the purpose of liver function tests, their key parameters, the role of bilirubin, and the potential causes of abnormal liver function.

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1. Liver Function Tests: The Crucial Role in Diagnosing Liver Disease (00:00:00)

2. What are the parameters of Liver function test? (00:00:50)

3. What is the Purpose of Liver Function Test? (00:02:06)

4. What is SGOT & SGPT in Liver Function Test? (00:03:48)

5. What bilirubin is and why it's an important component of a liver function test? (00:05:08)

6. What are the Cause of High Bilirubin Levels? (00:07:07)

7. What is Alkaline Phosphatase in Liver Function Test? (00:09:05)

8. What is Albumin in Liver Function Test? (00:11:01)

9. What Prothrombin Time (PT) is and its significance in a liver function test? (00:12:01)

10. What Gamma GT, or Gamma-glutamyl Transpeptidase, is in a liver function test and why it’s important? (00:13:00)

11. How are liver function tests interpreted? (00:14:57)

12. Liver Function Test Interpretation in Liver Cirrhosis? (00:17:56)

13. Liver Function Test Interpretation in Biliary Obstruction (00:19:05)

14. Liver Function Test Interpretation in Hepatocellular Cancer (00:21:26)

15. How liver function tests are interpreted in patients with Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH)? (00:22:50)

16. How liver function tests are interpreted in cases of Gilbert's Syndrome? (00:25:23)

17. What is the significance of total protein in a liver function test? (00:27:29)

18. Is Fasting required for a Liver Function Test? (00:28:27)

19. Can Dehydration affect Liver Function Tests? (00:28:48)

20. What are the common causes of abnormal liver function? (00:29:11)

21. How often should Liver Function Tests be Done? (00:30:53)

22. Can Gallstones cause abnormal Liver Function Tests? (00:32:10)

23. Can Liver Function Tests be normal with Cirrhosis? (00:33:22)

24. Can Liver Function Tests be normal with Liver Cancer? (00:35:23)