Biochemistry of alcohol Flashcards
What is rhabdomyolysis
Breakdown of skeletal muscle
What blood tests would you look at if determining if they drink alcohol chronically
Gammas GT
MCV- mech not understood
Triglycerides- due to increased synthesis in liver
When someone comes in in a coma what is the first thing checked and why
BM- to check for glucose level so as not to miss hypoglycaemia
What is the simplest formula to calculate serum osmolarity?
2 x {Na}
What is the reference for serum osmolatity?
275-295 mol/kg
What does a gap between the measured and calculated osmolarity called and what does it mean?
osmolol gap
There is something else contributing to the patients blood contributing to osmolarity but not measured
If there was a patient in a coma with an osmolal gap what would be the most likely culprit
Alcohol
If Abdominal pain what would you especially look for?
Amylase, LFT
What are the LFTs
ALT Bilirubin Alk phospahte Albumin GGT PTR?
Where is ALT found and what is it a marker of
liver, present in hepatocytes when they release contents, marker of liver damage
Where is Alk phosphate(ALP) found
Liver, bone, small intestine, kidney, placenta
What is Gamma GT used predominantly as
Liver test
however goes up very easily - can reflect enzyme induction
Where is albumin synthesised and what is its half life
Liver, 3 weeks - so not useful as a marker of current liver synthetic function
PTR
Clotting factor synthesised in liver, HL 3-4 days, much better indicator of current liver synthetic function
Raised bilirubin causes…
Jaundice
