Liver Assays, Informing You About the Condition of Your Liver

Posted by Madison Adams on January 15th, 2018

William James, an American philosopher, psychologist and a trained physician, once said, “Is life worth living? It all depends on the liver.”

It is truly remarked. It is a healthy liver that defines a truly healthy life. Our body is a temple where our soul resides, and it is important to keep every organ of our body healthy, including the liver.

Liver- as an organ:

The liver is the organ located in the upper right quadrant of the abdomen, below the diaphragm. It plays an important role in metabolism, decomposition of red blood cells, regulation of glycogen storage, and hormone production. It is an accessory digestive gland which produces bile, an alkaline compound which helps in the breakdown of fat and aids in digestion. Apart from this, there are a lot of functions of the liver which include:

• Storage of vitamins, all fat, and a few water-soluble ones
• Storage of iron
• Bile excretion
• Production of clotting factors for coagulation
• Detoxification of drugs that is done via cytochromes
• Synthesis of fatty acids, cholesterol, and lipoproteins
• Synthesis of plasma proteins
• Urea synthesis

The liver is a vital organ of the body as it supports almost every other organ. But because of its strategic location, it is prone to many diseases. Its multidimensional functions also make it prone to the diseases. And so it becomes even more critical to ensure a healthy liver. Liver assays or liver function tests help in keeping check for the same.

What are liver function tests or liver assays?

Liver assaysor liver function tests are groups of blood tests that provide information about the state of patient’s liver. Although most liver diseases cause only mild symptoms at the initial stage, it is important to detect them at the early stage, and liver assays  help in the same. They are used to identify the presence of any liver disease or distinguish among different types of liver disorders. They also help gauge the extent of known liver damage and follow the response to the treatment.

Other tests like 5’ Nucleotidase, coagulation test, serum glucose test, and lactate dehydrogenase test are also requested along with. Liver markers help you in getting the results of liver assays easily. You can find these online as well.

Although liver dialysis techniques can be used in the short term if your liver fails, there is currently no way to compensate for the absence of liver functions in the long run. The artificial liver is yet to be developed to promote long-term replacement in the cases with failure of liver functions. So keep the liver healthy and get it checked as soon as you start to read the symptoms. Explore more about your options for liver assays today.