How to find out how the liver works. How to check your liver: The most informative tests and studies. Biopsy and fibroscanning

One of the most important functions of the liver is the neutralization and detoxification of harmful substances. However, with regular exposure to the liver, its functions are weakened. How to check if your liver is healthy? Impaired liver function can also occur through previous illnesses, obesity, poisoning and autoimmune processes. Treatment of the liver is complex and requires a special diet, but severe consequences can be avoided by following some recommendations in advance.

How to determine if the liver is healthy? Without a special examination, it is impossible to determine for sure whether your liver is healthy. But it is very possible to keep the liver active and strong. To do this, follow the following recommendations.

How to make your liver healthy

Avoid stagnation of bile - divide meals into four to five times in small portions. Avoid eating foods harmful to the liver. Consult a doctor when the first symptoms of any disease appear; do not self-medicate to avoid liver damage with medications. Eat foods that help remove toxins from the liver. and the body as a whole

How to keep your liver healthy?

It is worth paying attention to dishes made from natural products: vegetables, fruits, berries, grains.

Products such as garlic, parsley, dill, basil, spinach, lettuce, white cabbage, broccoli, kohlrabi, avocado, peeled apples, grapefruit, dried fruits, green tea, mineral waters, fresh juices help remove toxins from the liver.

In addition to the listed products, the following are useful: carrots and beets, cucumbers, zucchini, pure unrefined and non-deodorized butter, lime and lemon, honey, whole grains and nuts, artichoke and asparagus, lean fish, low-fat cheese, turkey, rabbit. Turmeric is a very useful seasoning because it stimulates the production and flow of bile.

Harmful products:

Harmful to the liver are foods high in fat (lard, butter, pork, lamb, goose, duck), broths made from meat and mushrooms, and eggs in large quantities. Baking, sweets, and chocolate overload the liver.

Strong alcoholic drinks are very harmful to the human body, which the liver perceives as poison and spends energy on detoxification. Low-alcohol dark beer and dry red wine can be used in small quantities.

To avoid liver problems, it is advisable for coffee lovers to drink coffee half and half with milk.

To maintain liver health, do not take medications unless prescribed by a doctor, as many are hepatotoxic.

It is important to remember that when fried, foods lose their valuable properties, so it is better to consume boiled or baked foods. By following these recommendations and avoiding harmful foods, you can create your own menu that will help keep your liver healthy. And remember that everything is good in moderation, overeating is harmful, even if it is healthy foods.

Liver- This is the main filtering organ that does not allow harmful substances to poison the body. Poor environment, taking medications, alcohol, fatty foods, disrupts liver function. Symptoms appear indicating that it is time to see a doctor, undergo a medical examination and seriously begin treating the organ.

When liver function is disrupted, a number of complaints appear. First of all there is

in the mouth, a thick layer of plaque may appear on

Which comes in different shades, bad breath.

You may also feel lethargy, weakness, nausea in the morning and throughout the day, which indicates poisoning of the body with unprocessed waste and toxins due to stagnation of bile. Digestive disorders, heaviness in the gastrointestinal tract, constipation, headaches, heaviness in the right hypochondrium may appear.

Since there are no nerves in the liver

endings

You can learn about the disease only by general subjective complaints. The organ itself is not

all organs that depend on the normal functioning of the liver.

liver function

significantly reduces the body's immune defense, since all harmful substances cause general poisoning, and the body experiences constant overload from the presence of intoxication, and you are worried

colds

and viral infections.

If you feel

in the stomach

a burning sensation that often torments you

This may also indicate

liver disease

Since stagnant bile can be released into the gastrointestinal tract, which is very dangerous due to the possibility of ulcers, not to mention constant discomfort and unpleasant sensations.

Depending on the results of the examination, treatment will be prescribed. If there are stones in the gallbladder, surgical treatment may be performed. For inflammatory processes will be prescribed

antibiotics

Relieving inflammation, hepatoprotectors, choleretic preparations, dietary nutrition, repeated examination.

The liver is the largest and very important digestive gland. Its weight is about 1.5 kg. The liver is involved in metabolic processes and the accumulation of various substances in the body. It promotes the production of bile, synthesizes proteins and vitamins, and also converts toxins into safe substances.

Liver diseases are characterized by dull aching pain or a feeling of heaviness in the right hypochondrium. These pains are constant throughout the day, intensify with physical activity, driving, eating fats, fried or spicy foods and calm down with rest.

Similar pains are transmitted to the right shoulder blade, back, and can be felt on the right side of the neck. They are accompanied by nausea, vomiting, belching, heartburn, flatulence, bloating and

bitterness in the mouth

Liver diseases may be characterized by muscle weakness, fatigue, lethargy, irritability, decreased performance, fat intolerance and loss of appetite.

Headaches and even a tendency to faint are often present. Sometimes small hemorrhages are visible on the skin. U

menstrual irregularities may occur,

in a man

have problems with

potency

During liver disease, sometimes you may see yellow

skin. At the same time, dark-colored urine and discoloration of feces are noted. Against the background of jaundice, especially long-term, skin itching develops, which indicates an increase in the amount of bile components in the blood.

The most severe diffuse liver disease is liver cirrhosis. External symptoms of the disease include malaise, poor sleep, and weakness. Jaundice, itching and hemorrhages on the skin appear periodically. A sick man

due to impaired digestion and absorption.

Very often, dilation of small blood vessels can be observed on the skin. The skin of the palms turns red, and in men the mammary glands become enlarged. Liver cirrhosis is characterized by pain in the right hypochondrium, enlargement and bloating of the abdomen.

Helpful advice

Often, many liver diseases occur with mild clinical symptoms, but the complication itself can pose a huge threat to human health and even life. Therefore, if you suspect liver disease or to prevent its development, consult a doctor and, if necessary, undergo an ultrasound examination, computed tomography or laparoscopy.

Some diseases are generally asymptomatic (hepatic steatosis, hemangioma) and are detected only by ultrasound by an increase in the size of the liver.

how to check liver function

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How to find out if your liver hurts

In the news we are often told that health can be maintained until old age.

You just need to eat right, give up smoking and alcohol, play sports and preferably settle somewhere outside the city. It’s even better that all this is observed by your parents, their parents and a couple more generations" before " .

But in real life it is very difficult to fulfill such conditions. Most people love burgers, pastries, oven-baked meats, and fried potatoes! What about a delicious menu for corporate events and banquets?

By the way, there is often alcohol on holidays and weekends. And if there are a lot of friends and events in life, then a convinced teetotaler is not the best role.

It so happens that people usually pay attention to their health status if something starts to hurt. This is typical for joints, head, heart. However, not all diseases cause pain.

For example, the liver is a silent organ. She can suffer seriously and at the same time it almost never hurts. Meanwhile, liver damage is fraught with problems not only for the gallbladder, pancreas, stomach, intestines, but also for the heart and brain! Have you been interested in the condition of your liver for a long time?

What are the risks of liver dysfunction?

The liver is the largest internal organ through which about 1 liter of blood passes every minute. The blood enters the liver loaded with a variety of toxins. The liver, in turn, filters them out and converts them.

One of the most dangerous toxins for the liver and the entire body is ammonia. Ammonia is a product of protein metabolism in the body and is neutralized primarily by the liver.

If the liver is completely healthy, it can easily neutralize ammonia. But if it already functions imperfectly, the toxin penetrates into the systemic circulation, which means harms most organs. At the same time, the blood-brain barrier that protects the brain does not interfere with ammonia, so brain function also suffers: absent-mindedness and forgetfulness increase, and chronic fatigue occurs.

Liver dysfunction can often be caused by excess heavy food and alcohol. But even a healthy lifestyle and proper nutrition do not guarantee salvation from ammonia. The fact is that intense exercise in itself can trigger the accumulation of this toxin.

Usually liver problems go unnoticed for a long time, because the liver does not hurt, and right up to the development of the most serious pathologies. In extreme cases, a feeling of heaviness may occur. And pain in the right side is most often a problem with the gallbladder or pancreas, but not with the liver (!).

This patience is actually explained simply: the liver does not have nerve endings.

At the same time, people may suffer from the toxic effects of ammonia, complaining, for example, of problems with concentration or constant fatigue, but it simply does not occur to them to check their liver - everyone blames it on vitamin deficiency or stress at work.

This feature confuses even doctors. Patients often come to an appointment with complaints of poor sleep, asthenia, tremors - and the therapist looks for problems anywhere but in the liver - since there are no complaints about it.

How to assess liver health in 40 seconds?

For a full diagnosis, you need to see a doctor and undergo a medical examination. And as an auxiliary diagnostic method, you can take an online test.

Express diagnostics on the website is the so-called “Number Link Test”. Its essence is to try to connect numbers from 1 to 25 within 40 seconds. The speed of the test makes it possible to identify the presence of liver disorders, namely, increased ammonia levels- with increased ammonia the reaction slows down.

2. Golovanova E.V. Endogenous ammonia as a cause of “circulus vitiosus” in the progression of liver diseases // Farmateka. 2017. No. 6.

3. NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE: CLINICAL, DIAGNOSTIC, TREATMENT (recommendations for therapists, 2nd version) Approved by the XVI Congress of the Scientific Society of Gastroenterologists of Russia and the XI National Congress of Therapists on November 25, 2016.

4. Ageeva E.A., Alekseenko S.A. Experience of using the oral form of the drug “L-ornithine-L-aspartate” for hyperammonemia in patients with chronic liver diseases at the pre-cirrhotic stage // M., 2015.

If similar symptoms appear, you should go to a therapist or gastroenterologist. He will explain how to check your liver and give directions for tests.

What tests do you need to take to check your liver?

Checking the liver involves taking blood tests - general, biochemical, PCR.

General blood analysis

When starting the examination, it is necessary to submit a blood sample for a general clinical analysis to check the liver. CBC shows the number of main blood components (leukocytes, erythrocytes, platelets, hemoglobin, lymphocytes, monocytes).

Blood chemistry

These are the main tests for the liver, scale. The breakdown of the indicators is as follows:

• . In adults, its normal level is 3.4-20 µmol/l.
• . Its norm is 8.6 µmol/l. If it is exceeded, this indicates cirrhosis, problems with.
• Alanine aminotransferase (AlAt) shows the state of the liver tissue. This enzyme is involved in the metabolism and synthesis of amino acids. The norm for men is 41 units/l, for women – 31 units/l. Increased levels occur in heart failure, hepatitis, cirrhosis, pancreatitis and liver tumors.
• Aspartate aminotransferase (AsAt, AST), like AlAt, is involved in metabolic processes and the interaction of amino acids. The normal value is 37 U/L in men, 31 U/L in women. During heart surgery, myocardial infarction, pulmonary thrombosis, muscle injuries, hepatitis, metastases, the level of AST increases.
• Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) performs a function that improves amino acid metabolism. The norm for men is 49 units/l and 32 units/l for women. Increases in hepatitis, pancreatitis, cancer of the pancreas and liver.
• Alkaline phosphatase breaks down phosphoric acid and normalizes its transport in the body. Normal values ​​are 40-150 units/l. The increase is activated by a high content of thyroid hormones, a lack of phosphorus and calcium, and is observed with fractures and disorders of bone tissue, cancer, etc.

The average time for conducting a biochemical analysis and obtaining results is 2-3 days.

Fibrotest

Dopplerography

The study is carried out using an ultrasound machine. The analysis consists of assessing the flow rate and volume of blood in the hepatic vessels.

Performed on an empty stomach. If ultrasound, MRI or other x-ray studies have previously been performed, Doppler ultrasound is prescribed three to five days later.

Elastography

The condition of the liver can be determined using ultrasound. Elastography is intended for the diagnosis of fibrosis. The examination takes from 5 to 20 minutes. Although this type of ultrasound is considered safe, it is not recommended for patients under 18 years of age, pregnant women, or if there is fluid in the abdomen that could affect the reliability of the results.

Scintigraphy

To test the liver using scintigraphy, radioactive isotopes are injected through a vein. After they are absorbed by the liver, they are monitored with a gamma tomograph. Thanks to the method, the size and position of the organ and its blood supply are determined.

MRI and CT

Magnetic resonance imaging is performed to check the liver for tumors and other diseases.

A CT scan creates a three-dimensional image of the liver, in which even the smallest lesions can be seen.

Biopsy

Tests to assess liver function

These are blood tests that allow you to check the functioning of the liver, the presence of damage and diseases, and determine at what stage of development they are.

Rosenthal–White dye test

Deviations in the functioning and condition of the liver (fibrosis, damage) can be detected by injecting bromsulfalein dye intravenously. It enters the liver, and then leaves along with. To carry out the analysis on an empty stomach, a 5% solution is administered at a rate of 5 mg per 1 kg of patient weight. After 3 minutes, blood is taken for analysis. The result obtained is taken as 100%. Then the procedure is repeated 45 minutes after the introduction of the dye and the remaining percentage of the dye is calculated.

Typically the remainder is no more than 5%, which indicates a negative result. If more than 6% remains, the result is positive.

Indocyanine test

The analysis is carried out by intravenous injection of indocyanine green dye. An aqueous solution of paint is administered through a vein in an amount of 0.25-0.5 mg per 1 kg. After 3 minutes, blood is taken, and after 20 minutes, another portion is taken to calculate the remaining dye. At the time of the second blood draw, no more than 4% indocyanine should remain.

The test is effective for detecting minor liver failure.

Galactose test

The examination method allows us to identify disorders of carbohydrate metabolism. If there are any, galactose is excreted unchanged in the urine. After a blood test, its level should be less than 0.24 mmol/l or 43 mg/l. If the concentration is higher than indicated, liver pathology is present.

To carry out the analysis, drink 40 g of galactose diluted in 200 ml of warm water on an empty stomach. Blood is taken for testing before administration and 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 hours after administration.

Caffeine test

A person takes 400 mg of caffeine, after which their blood is tested. The normal rate of caffeine absorption is 60-160 ml/min. Blood is taken for analysis before taking caffeine, after an hour and every 2 hours throughout the day. A decrease in clearance up to 80% can be observed in case of disruption of the functioning of the liver: acute inflammation, cirrhosis.

How to test your liver at home

To test your liver at home, you can use test strips. Problems with this organ may be indicated by changes in well-being and appearance.

Specific symptoms

The liver has no nerve endings, so pain will not help you find out about problems with it. Other symptoms you need to pay attention to:

• unexplained constant fatigue, apathy, weakness, sleep problems;
• general intoxication of the body, manifested as a result of the fact that the liver does not have time to cleanse the blood of harmful substances;
• , accompanied by ;
• skin and sclera colors;
• persistent digestive problems (diarrhea, constipation);
• pain on the right under the ribs.

Express tests

You can use rapid tests to check your liver at home. They remind me of pregnancy tests. To do the test, you need to wet the strip with urine. The test reacts to urobilinogen, which does not meet the norm. If the level of at least one of the two pigments does not meet the required level, a reaction will occur.

If the bilirubin test is positive, liver damage is present.

When urobilinogen is not normal, this does not necessarily indicate liver problems. This is a possible symptom of poor circulation. With constipation, the result may also be false. Therefore, if excess urobilinogen is detected using a strip, you should consult your doctor.

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In a healthy state, the liver performs all its functions without interruption: it cleanses the body of “aggressive” substances that enter the blood from the digestive system or through other routes. Other ailments can also affect the functioning of the liver, these include pathologies with the heart and metabolism. In order to understand the condition of this vital organ, you need to know how to check the liver.

How is the liver examined?

A healthy liver has the correct anatomical state and structure, the size of the organ must be normal, and must also fulfill all its functional “responsibilities.”

Palpation method

In order to understand the condition of the patient’s liver, the doctor conducts an examination using palpation. Using a palpation examination, the doctor determines what size the liver is at a given time, palpating the edges and its surface. When pressing on the liver, in its normal state, there is no pain, the liver should also have a smooth surface, the edge of the liver should be sharp, without compactions.

Ultrasound

Using an ultrasound examination, the doctor determines the normal structure or the presence of pathologies in the liver.

Also, in extreme cases, a biopsy method is used.

Biopsy

This is a diagnostic method, the analysis is carried out by inserting a special needle to collect a piece of the organ. This procedure is quite unpleasant and may require some time for rehabilitation due to pain from the liver.

Checking your liver with tests

To determine an accurate diagnosis and check the condition of the liver, there is a special system of tests - markers.”

Markers are a method of collecting analysis that shows the biochemical data of a person’s blood.

Before taking tests to determine pathologies in the liver, you should not eat anything in the morning; the collection is done on an empty stomach. In order to find out exactly all the rules for preparing and taking tests, you should talk to your doctor.

Types of tests to determine liver health:

• ALT (alanine aminotransferase) and AST (aspartate aminotransferase) blood tests are types of blood tests that measure enzyme levels. If the level of these enzymes is too high, this means that pathological and inflammatory processes are occurring in the liver.
• A blood test to detect bilirubin is a bile enzyme, an elevated level of which indicates complex (acute) pathologies in the organ.
• A blood test to detect albumin is a blood protein, a low level of which indicates that the patient has chronic liver diseases.

During the assessment of the organ, it is necessary to exclude diseases such as viral types of hepatitis C and B. These diseases may not give any symptoms for a very long time. But the most dangerous thing in this situation is that a sick person can infect other people. The organ in such people is destroyed and cannot function like a healthy organ.

How to understand the causes of disease development

How to identify symptoms of diseases

Symptoms of the disease can appear one at a time or in a group.

The main symptoms of liver problems:

• One of the most reliable signs of liver disease is yellowed human skin. In some types of liver disease, the organ's cells lose the ability to produce bilirubin. As a result, bile enters the blood, tissues and organs turn yellow, and a person develops jaundice.
• A common sign is colorless stool.
• Powerlessness, headache, itching. This is due to the fact that in case of liver disease, bile circulates through the blood and poisons the entire body of the patient. When excess bile begins to leave the patient’s body, it is released along with urine. Therefore, the urine becomes dark in color.
• With a disease such as cirrhosis, people experience dropsy of the abdominal region or ascites. The swelling does not spread to other parts of the body.
• When palpating the liver, pain is felt, the liver is of the wrong size (enlarged), and may also have compactions (in extremely severe cases).
• Psychological disorders can also cause liver disease. A person displays aggression, resentment, suspiciousness, and irritation.
• If you have liver health problems, you may develop nosebleeds.
• Additional symptoms: frequent vomiting and nausea, diarrhea, constipation, frequent urination, causeless fatigue and weakness, loss of appetite and weight, changes in body temperature.

Signs of severe types of illness

To find out an accurate diagnosis, you should undergo a full professional diagnosis in a clinic.

Cirrhosis, hepatitis

You should be wary of the following signs: severe weight loss, even when nutrition and sleep patterns remain normal, the appearance of a yellow tint to the skin, joint pain, vision problems, severe fatigue and liver pain, severe bloating and the appearance of a wreath on the abdominal area. parts.

Malignant formations

Malignant formations can be suspected when a person has pain on the right side for many months. The pain does not always have to be very strong, it can be mild. The worst thing is that the formation of tumors almost always occurs without symptoms. Therefore, you should undergo an examination at the clinic once a year.

Abscess

Prevention of liver diseases

First of all, it is worth noting a visit to the doctor and a general examination of the whole body, once a year. This approach will not only be able to stop the disease in time, restore liver function, but also take preventive measures to avoid the disease. It is also very important that people choose proper nutrition, it is advisable to give up unhealthy foods (highly fried foods, fast food, etc.), take medications only as prescribed by a doctor, exercise, drink plenty of fluids (preferably clean water), and do not abuse alcohol and smoking.

A healthy liver is the result of caring for your body, as well as frequent preventive measures to avoid the development of the disease. The liver has the ability to recover from severe damage, but even this fact is not very encouraging, due to the fact that even the slightest problems with this organ will directly affect the functioning of the entire body. After all, as you know, the liver ensures the vital functions of many organs and systems. Therefore, you should pay more attention to your internal organ, try to eat right and not load it with aggressive substances.

The human liver is an important organ responsible for the neutralization of toxic substances, the synthesis of protein, pigment compounds - it is difficult to find in which biochemical processes this gland is not involved.

It is difficult to imagine what symptom can accurately reflect pathological changes in the largest gland of the digestive system - its parenchyma is devoid of pain receptors, and diseases can be asymptomatic for a long time.

This is why preventive liver testing is so important - its condition can be affected by dietary errors, drug abuse, the influence of environmental factors, and infections that enter the body. Doctors recommend taking liver biochemistry tests at least once a year - normal results guarantee that there is no serious pathology. If changes are detected in the dynamics of laboratory parameters, one can suspect a pathology and undergo a more precise diagnosis - in this case, it is possible to start the necessary treatment early, which significantly improves the prognosis for the patient.

When is it necessary to examine the liver?

In the huge list of laboratory tests offered by modern laboratories, it is quite difficult to figure out how to check the liver on your own. Even if your health is not a concern, it is better to start the examination by consulting a qualified therapist. The doctor will tell you which tests need to be taken first, help decipher their results and advise what diagnostics are necessary to establish the exact cause of the changes.

There are symptoms, the appearance of which is highly likely to indicate a possible disease - tests to check the liver are necessary:

1. With jaundice, changes in the functioning of the organ affect hemoglobin metabolism. Red blood pigment, responsible for the transport of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the body, is destroyed in hepatocytes and converted into bilirubin. If the course of these processes is disrupted, the pigment enters the bloodstream and turns the skin and visible mucous membranes yellow.
2. With heaviness in the right hypochondrium, which increases after eating, especially after drinking alcohol, fatty or spicy foods.
3. In case of stool disorder - liver pathology - the formation and outflow of bile may become difficult, which inevitably leads to constipation. Less commonly, diarrhea may be a symptom of the disease.
4. When the color of feces and urine changes - in the case when bilirubin cannot be synthesized normally in the liver and released into the intestinal lumen, the feces become discolored. In this case, the kidneys suffer and the urine becomes dark in color (“the color of beer”).
5. An increase in the size of the abdomen - in this case, a venous pattern may appear on the anterior abdominal wall, which resembles the head of a jellyfish.
6. The appearance of allergic reactions that are difficult to treat with antihistamines.

It is necessary to check the condition of the liver if you complain of the appearance of a dense brown coating and cracks on the tongue, or itchy skin.

What diseases can be detected by examining the liver?

Liver tests help identify the causes of the disease:

• hereditary liver diseases that occur when metals accumulate in its tissue (copper in Konovalov-Wilson disease, bilirubin in Gilbert's syndrome);
• biliary dyskinesia;
• inflammation of the gallbladder – cholecystitis;
• inflammation of the biliary tract – cholangitis;
• lesions that occur due to alcohol intoxication;
• viral hepatitis;
• cirrhosis;
• hepatocellular carcinoma.

It is necessary to check the liver at home if you suspect any pathology that may negatively affect the functioning of this organ.

Tests needed for liver health

Based on the results of the consultation, the doctor will be able to tell you which liver tests you need to take, how to properly prepare for laboratory tests, and what time of day is best to come to the laboratory.

If necessary, check your liver health by:

1. Avoid taking medications that can affect test results. During a visit to the doctor, you must tell him what medications the patient is taking.
2. 2-3 days before taking a biochemical blood test, you need to give up excessive physical activity, do not drink alcohol, fatty, salty, spicy foods.
3. Blood must be donated for testing on an empty stomach; a light dinner is allowed the night before.
4. It is not advisable to undergo diagnostics immediately after respiratory infections, injuries, or bleeding.
5. Blood for biochemical analysis is donated from a vein - 10 ml of biological material is enough for a complete study.

Answering the question of what tests need to be taken to check the liver, doctors recommend starting examinations with biochemical blood tests - liver tests.

Biochemical analysis of the liver includes:

• ALT and AST are enzymes involved in protein metabolism, a sharp increase in the concentration of which may indicate extensive destruction of hepatocytes (more often observed in viral hepatitis, hepatocarcinoma);
• bilirubin is a pigment present in the blood and formed in the liver from hemoglobin; a combination of fractions of indirect and direct substances is determined. The reasons for the increase may be liver diseases, blood diseases, viral hepatitis, hereditary diseases);
• prothrombin index (PTI) - is an indicator of a coagulogram, but indirectly indicates the condition of the liver, because synthesized by it. With cirrhosis, hepatitis, and neoplasms, the level of PTI decreases;
• albumin and total protein are substances synthesized by the liver; its level can increase with cirrhosis and decrease with acute inflammatory processes in the organ;
• alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is synthesized in hepatocytes; an increase in levels may indicate cancer in the body.

If the liver is healthy, then the test results are completely within the age norm. If changes are detected, the doctor recommends taking tests and conducting examinations to help clarify what disease caused the deviations.

Additional diagnostic program includes:

1. Immunological diagnosis of viral hepatitis - markers are determined in the blood that indicate the presence of infectious agents in the liver cells, as well as immunoglobulins, the identification of which helps to establish the duration of the infection.
2. Liver biopsy is an invasive diagnostic method that allows you to obtain a piece of organ tissue; the study is necessary if hepatitis C and cirrhosis are suspected.
3. Ultrasound examination (ultrasound) shows changes in the size of the organ, the presence of benign and malignant neoplasms, and cystic inclusions.
4. Radionuclide diagnostics (scintigraphy) requires the introduction of a radioisotope (usually technetium) into the body, after which the accumulation of the drug in the liver tissue is recorded - areas of the parenchyma are determined that weakly accumulate the pharmaceutical drug (cysts, massive destruction of the organ) or excessive accumulation of the substance characteristic of malignant neoplasms.
5. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are necessary to diagnose neoplasms.

Interpretation of indicators and possible diseases

The patient will be able to receive the finished results of a biochemical study within 24 hours from the moment of collection; a second consultation with a doctor is required, who will be able to assess whether the tests are normal or whether there are deviations.

Hepatitis A

Acute viral hepatitis A is characterized by a moderate increase in the level of liver enzymes and a moderate increase in the level of direct bilirubin, but the clinical picture is so typical that additional diagnostics are not required

Hepatitis B and C

Hepatitis B and C are transmitted through infected blood; after infection, it is possible to develop manifest forms of infection (more typical for hepatitis B) or a chronic version, in which clinical symptoms characteristic of liver diseases do not appear. Test results may reveal high levels of liver enzymes, and immunological studies may reveal markers of the virus that caused the disease.

Cirrhosis

Cirrhosis is characterized by an increase in protein levels in the blood serum; in addition, changes characteristic of the disease that provoked the replacement of the liver parenchyma with connective tissue can be determined. To clarify the diagnosis, the doctor may recommend a biopsy - to select effective antiviral therapy, it is necessary to determine the nature of the liver damage and the type of virus.

Hepatocellular carcinoma

In laboratory tests, liver cancer can be manifested by increased levels of liver enzymes, while alkaline phosphatase levels can be increased several tens of times. To confirm the diagnosis, liver ultrasound, CT and MRI are required to determine the location of the lesion, its size, nature (primary tumor focus or metastatic lesion)

Laboratory examination of the liver at home does not require significant material costs; today, high-quality tests can be done in almost any locality.