Why Do I Need A Pt/inr Test
You may need this test if you are taking warfarin on a regular basis. The test helps make sure you are taking the right dose.
If you are not taking warfarin, you may need this test if you have symptoms of a bleeding or clotting disorder.
Symptoms of a bleeding disorder include:
- Unexplained heavy bleeding
- Unusually heavy menstrual periods in women
Symptoms of a clotting disorder include:
- Leg pain or tenderness
- Chest pain
- Rapid heartbeat
In addition, you may need a PT/INR test if you are scheduled for surgery. It helps make sure your blood is clotting normally, so you won’t lose too much blood during the procedure.
What Is Hepatitis C
Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver. Inflammation is swelling that happens when tissues of the body are injured or infected. Inflammation can damage organs.
There are different types of hepatitis. One type, hepatitis C, is caused by the hepatitis C virus . Hepatitis C can range from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a serious, lifelong illness.
Hepatitis C can be acute or chronic:
- Acute hepatitis C is a short-term infection. The symptoms can last up to 6 months. Sometimes your body is able to fight off the infection and the virus goes away. But for most people, an acute infection leads to chronic infection.
- Chronic hepatitis C is a long-lasting infection. If it is not treated, it can last for a lifetime and cause serious health problems, including liver damage, cirrhosis , liver cancer, and even death.
How Much Does The Test Cost
The total cost of a liver panel can include fees for the office visit, blood draw, and laboratory analysis. The price can depend on where the testing takes place and the specific measurements that are ordered.
The cost also depends on whether you have health insurance, who your insurer is, and what your specific plan covers. If your doctor orders the test, most costs, minus copays or deductibles, are often covered by insurance. For specific details about total and out-of-pocket costs, contact your health insurance provider and your doctors office.
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Liver Hepatic Function Panel
A liveror hepatic function panel is a blood test that helps doctors check for liver injury, infection, or disease. Liver function panels also can check for side effects in the liver from some medicines. This lab test panel measures the blood levels of total protein, albumin, bilirubin, and GGT enzymes. High or low levels may mean that liver damage or disease is present.
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What Causes Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A is caused by the hepatitis A virus. The virus spreads through contact with an infected person’s stool. This can happen if you:
- Eat food made by someone who has the virus and did not properly wash their hands after using the bathroom
- Drink contaminated water or eat foods that were rinsed with contaminated water
- Have close personal contact with someone who has hepatitis A. This could be through certain types of sex , taking care of someone who is ill, or using illegal drugs with others.
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Who Should Submit For A Liver Function Test
- People who drink alcoholic beverages a lot.
- Extremely overweight or obese individuals.
- Those who have diabetes mellitus.
- Those who have a high blood pressure level.
- Those who have a high level of triglycerides.
- Those who have a condition called hemochromatosis or excessive buildup of iron in the body.
How Does Discountedlabscom Work
Go to the Find a Location page to find the closest lab location. No need to make an appointment since walk-ins are welcomed. Once you have identified your closest location, go to step 2.
Go to Choose a Test and add your selection in the shopping cart. If you prefer to save money on bundled tests, we have created Lab Test Panels that can help you decide what to order.
If you have a discount coupon code, add it to your cart.
A $8 lab processing fee will be added to your total.
Pay using a credit card.
You will receive an order confirmation and instructions email on how to download your lab request.
Print lab request form that you downloaded.
Take that form to the closest Quest Diagnostics location with a picture ID. Get your blood drawn.
You will receive an email when the results are ready for you to download.
Note: You cannot place an order under someone elses profile. The profile persons name will appear on the lab order form.
If you have questions, please review our FAQ Page.
If you have further questions, please email .
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What Other Liver Enzymes Cause Medical Problems
Aside from AST and ALT, there are other enzymes including alkaline phosphatase, 5′-nucleotidase , lactate dehydrogenase , and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase that are often used to detect liver disease.
LDH is not specific to the liver and can be elevated in many diseases with inflammation in other tissues.
Alkaline phosphatase is another liver enzyme that is frequently measured. This enzyme is usually found in the walls of the bile ducts . Elevation of alkaline phosphatase may indicate an injury to the biliary cells. Common causes of biliary injury or biliary obstruction are gallstones and certain medications, although, some of the conditions listed previously can also raise the levels of this enzyme. Alkaline phosphate is also found in the bone and can be elevated in bone diseases. GGT and 5′ nucleotidase levels can be elevated in biliary conditions along with alkaline phosphatase.
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Total Bilirubin Lab Results
This lab test measures the total amount of bilirubin in the blood, including direct and indirect bilirubin. Bilirubin is produced during the normal process of blood cells dying and the liver excretes bilirubin through bile. Too much bilirubin in the blood results in the patient looking yellow, or jaundiced. This test may detect elevated levels of bilirubin before jaundice is present.
Normal Level: 0.1 1.23 mg/dL
Indirect bilirubin does not dissolve in water. In order to dissolve in water, and be eliminated from the body, it must go to the liver where it is made into direct bilirubin.
Indirect Bilirubin = Total Bilirubin Direct Bilirubin
Normal Level: 0.2 0.9 mg/dL
Direct bilirubin has been converted into a water soluble form of bilirubin by the liver. The proportion of indirect bilirubin to direct bilirubin may change if the liver has difficulty converting indirect into direct.
Normal Level: 0 0.3 mg/dL
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What Is A Liver Function Test
A liver function test is one of a group of tests that check levels of certain enzymes and other proteins in your blood.
Some of the tests look for enzymes that youâd find in your blood only when your liver is damaged or has a disease. Others check that the organ is working the way it should.
Your liver does all kinds of work thatâs crucial for your health. It helps break down food, clean your blood, make proteins, and store energy. If something goes wrong with it, you might have a number of symptoms, from yellow skin to slurred speech. Thatâs when you might need a liver test.
Why Should I Get Tested
The Liver Function Panel can add years to your life by preventing life-threatening diseases such as liver inflammation , liver disease, and liver damage.
Secure Health Partners is your local source for reliable and quick test procedures.
- Safe & Easy Testing
Just three simple steps to get your results:
1. WALK-IN OR SCHEDULE YOUR TEST
Simply walk in during normal business hours, or call ahead to schedule with us 303-963-5554
2. VISIT OUR OFFICE
Our professional team will perform your quick and easy test procedure
3. GET YOUR RESULTS
Quick turnaround time with test results delivered via Email, mailed to your home, or picked up at our office.
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Can I Stay With My Child During A Liver Function Panel
Parents usually can stay with their child during a blood test. Encourage your child to relax and stay still because tensing muscles can make it harder to draw blood. Your child might want to look away when the needle is inserted and the blood is collected. Encourage your child to relax by taking slow deep breaths or singing a favorite song.
What Does Liver/hep Function Panel Mean
The liver/hep function panel is a blood test that assesses the health of the liver. The liver is a large organ responsible for the management of several of the bodys metabolic processes. In particular, the liver processes nutrients into materials that are then used by the other cells of the body. Substances processed by the liver are transported to and from the other cells via the bodys circulatory system.
Seven tests in total are included in a liver function panel. The panel measures the levels of total protein, albumin, and bilirubin in the blood. The panel also includes tests to measure levels of the liver enzymes, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and aspartate aminotransferase.
The liver function panel is also called a liver function panel, liver panel, hepatic function panel, or liver function panel test.
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What Are They Used For
Liver function tests are most often used to:
- Help diagnose liver diseases, such as hepatitis
- Monitor treatment of liver disease. These tests can show how well the treatment is working.
- Check how badly a liver has been damaged or scarred by disease, such as cirrhosis
- Monitor side effects of certain medicines
What Do Liver Function Tests Check
A liver function test checks the enzyme and protein levels in the blood. Enzymes found in the liver and other parts of the body include alanine transaminase , aspartate transaminase , alkaline phosphatase , and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase . High levels of these enzymes could mean damage to the liver or bile duct.
The liver also produces proteins, including albumin, globulin, and prothrombin. Low levels of these proteins could be a sign of liver damage. A prothrombin time test shows how long it takes for blood to clot.
A liver function test also measures platelet counts and glucose levels.
The liver function test also measures bilirubin levels. Bilirubin is a fluid created from the breaking down of red blood cells. If the liver is damaged, bilirubin can leak out of the liver. This can cause the disease jaundice, in which the skin or eyes turn yellow. High bilirubin levels can also make urine darker in color.
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Foods To Avoid Before A Liver Function Test
Dietary restrictions before reporting for a liver function test are certainly a major part of preparing for the test. The reason why avoiding certain foods is important is because these foods tend to commonly affect the enzyme levels and give false-positive results.
Food eaten even on the previous night of a liver function test can influence test results. The liver is solely responsible for proteins, carbohydrate and fat metabolism. Therefore, in order to achieve accurate test results, there are certain foods to be avoided before going for a liver function test.
What Are The Treatments For Hepatitis C
Treatment for hepatitis C is with antiviral medicines. They can cure the disease in most cases.
If you have acute hepatitis C, your health care provider may wait to see if your infection becomes chronic before starting treatment.
If your hepatitis C causes cirrhosis, you should see a doctor who specializes in liver diseases. Treatments for health problems related to cirrhosis include medicines, surgery, and other medical procedures. If your hepatitis C leads to liver failure or liver cancer, you may need a liver transplant.
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What Is The Significance Of Checking These Panels
If any of the substances mentioned above are outside of the normal range, then it could be an indicator of underlying liver disease such as hepatitis.
The results of the liver function tests are also used as a basis for the progress of treatment of liver disease, check how severely damaged the liver such as in the case of liver cirrhosis, and monitor the side effects of some medications.
What Is A Prothrombin Time Test With An Inr
A prothrombin time test measures how long it takes for a clot to form in a blood sample. An INR is a type of calculation based on PT test results.
Prothrombin is a protein made by the liver. It is one of several substances known as clotting factors. When you get a cut or other injury that causes bleeding, your clotting factors work together to form a blood clot. Clotting factor levels that are too low can cause you to bleed too much after an injury. Levels that are too high can cause dangerous clots to form in your arteries or veins.
A PT/INR test helps find out if your blood is clotting normally. It also checks to see if a medicine that prevents blood clots is working the way it should.
Other names: prothrombin time/international normalized ratio, PT protime
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How Do Health Care Professionals Monitor A Person’s Liver Blood Values
What is usually most helpful is serial testing of AST and ALT over time to determine whether the levels are increasing, remaining stable, or decreasing. For example, individuals undergoing treatment for chronic hepatitis C should be monitored with serial liver enzyme tests. Those responding to treatment will experience lowering of liver enzyme levels to normal or near-normal levels. Those who develop relapse of hepatitis C after completion of treatment will usually develop abnormal liver enzyme levels again.
Aminotransferases: Alat Asat And Ldh
Transaminases or aminotransferases are enzymes found in the liver cells which are involved in breathing and cellular function. They are a helpful indicator of liver damage, as they indicate the degree of inflammation present in the liver. When liver cells are damaged, these enzymes leak into the blood stream.
Alanine aminotransferase
4-36 units/L
Why this test?
ALT is found in the liver and kidney cells and in smaller quantities in skeletal muscle and red blood cells. It is the best indicator of cytolytic hepatitis and can reach up to 10 times its normal value or even 1000 times its normal value .
Aspartate aminotransaminase
0-36 units/L or 0-0.58 Kat/L
Values may be lower in females than in males
Why this test?
AST is found in skeletal muscle and heart cells, in red blood cells and finally in liver cells. Its increase is a sign of cytolysis of the liver and heart. Most often it is lower than the ALT level, except in the case of alcoholic-related liver disease. Indeed, in alcoholics, the ASTlevel is higher than the ALT level.
Lactate Dehydrogenase
338-610 U/L
Why this test?
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What Are The Next Steps After A Liver Function Test
After the test, you can usually resume everyday activities. However, if you feel faint or lightheaded during the blood draw, you should rest before you leave the testing facility.
The results of these tests may not tell your doctor exactly which condition you have or the degree of liver damage, but they might help your doctor determine the next steps. Your doctor will call you with the results or discuss them with you at a follow-up appointment.
In general, if your results indicate a problem with your liver function, your doctor will review your medications and your past medical history to help determine the cause.
If you drink alcohol frequently, then youll need to stop drinking it. If your doctor identifies that a medication is causing the elevated liver enzymes, theyll advise you to stop the medication.
What Tests Are In A Hepatic Function Panel
albumin
Although the hepatic function panel can be done without any preparation, its more accurate when performed after fasting. Your child may be asked to stop eating and drinking for 10 to 12 hours before this blood test.
One may also ask, how do you test for liver disease? Your doctor may then recommend:
Simply so, how do you read a hepatic function panel?
Normal blood test results for typical liver function tests include:
Why is a hepatic function panel ordered?
A liverfunction panel is a blood test to check how well the liver is working. This test measures the blood levels of total protein, albumin, bilirubin, and liver enzymes. High or low levels may mean that liver damage or disease is present. Bilirubin .
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