LFTs Flashcards

1
Q

What’s included in LFTs?

A
  • Albumin
  • Alanine transaminase (ALT)
  • Aspartate transaminase (AST)
  • Alkaline phosphatase (ALP)
  • Bilirubin
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2
Q

What is albumin a measure of?

A
  • Synthetic function of liver
  • Can have renal cause of decreased albumin
  • Decreased albumin = chronic liver disease
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3
Q

Which one out of ALT and AST is more specific to the liver?

A
  • ALT
  • AST is also released by skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle and red blood cells
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4
Q

What type of liver disease is indicated by increased ALT?

A
  • Acute
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5
Q

What type of liver disease is indicated by increased AST?

A
  • Chronic
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6
Q

What is alkaline phosphatase?

A
  • Found in cells of bile ducts
  • Levels are raised in cholestasis
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7
Q

What else could cause raised alkaline phosphatase?

A
  • Can be released when bones are remodelling (e.g. in children/adolescents that are still growing)
  • Confirm that raised ALP is due to bile ducts with Gamma GT
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8
Q

Why is it important that we check bilirubin when conducting LFTs?

A
  • Need to check if bilirubin is unconjugated
  • Unconjugated bilirubin can cross blood brain barrier and cause brain damage
  • Jaundice is common in neonates
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9
Q

If a patient had normal ALT, AST and ALP but increased bilirubin, what kind of jaundice would they have?

A
  • Pre-hepatic
  • FBC would show haemolysis as well
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10
Q

Why would we take LFTS?

A
  • For baseline results in healthy patients
  • To monitor liver conditions
  • Suspected liver pathology
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11
Q

If a patient has raised ALT and AST but normal ALP and bilirubin, what pathology would we suspect?

A
  • Hepatocellular damage e.g. due to paracetamol overdose
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12
Q

What LFT results indicate post-hepatic jaundice with an obstructive pattern?

A
  • Normal ALT and AST
  • Raised ALP
  • Raised bilirubin
  • Raised amylase in blood (due to acute pancreatitis)
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13
Q

What would we suspect if all LFT results were abnormal?

A
  • Indicative of hepatocellular damage and obstruction
  • Liver is a common site of metastases because lots of GI system drains through liver
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