Medical professionals order liver function tests to evaluate overall liver health. With liver function tests, the laboratory measures the levels of certain proteins and chemicals in the blood. Abnormally high liver function test results may...
Zocor, or simvastatin, is in a class of cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins. Drugs.com states Zocor is an effective drug in lowering the risk of a heart attack and drug by decreasing LDL-the type of cholesterol responsible for increased risk...
The liver, one of the largest organs in the body, is located in the upper right region of the abdomen, below the rib cage. The main function of the liver is to detoxify the blood, filtering drugs, medicines and other substances that could...
The liver is one of the most important organs in the body, as it helps detoxify the blood of noxious chemicals and substances. It also serves as a reservoir for glucose, the main sugar used for the body's various energy needs. Inside the liver...
Infectious mononucleosis, commonly abbreviated as just "mono," is a viral illness caused by the Epstein-Barr virus. It is one of the most common viral illnesses in humans. One of the effects of this infection is liver inflammation. This can be...
Clinical trials have thoroughly backed some herbal remedies as effective alternative therapies for some health conditions. These top healing herbs are highly rated and frequently seen as additions in many different retail products. Before starting...
The most commonly used indicators of healthy liver function include the enzymes aspartate aminotransferase, or AST, and alanine aminotransferase, or ALT. When liver injury occurs, these enzymes flood the bloodstream. Blood tests that show high...
The normal function of the liver is to clear toxins, process drugs, make glucose and provide amino acids and other building blocks for the body. When toxins or disease affect the hepatocytes or liver cells, the damaged cells send enzymes into the...
Orange urine and elevated liver function blood tests are caused by a number of liver diseases. Urine that appears orange or darker than normal occurs in people with jaundice, a yellowing of the skin and eyes. Jaundice comes from bilirubin, a...
The liver is an important organ in the body, in charge of detoxifying the blood from medicines, chemicals and other substances, among other duties. Located in the right upper portion of the abdomen, right below the rib cage, it's one of the...
Elevated liver enzymes usually are not a life-threatening condition, but high ALT and AST do warrant prompt medical attention. Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis caused more than 39,000 deaths in the United States in 2005, according to the...
Liver function tests are designed to check for liver infections, monitor side effects of some medications and to monitor the progression and severity of diseases affecting the liver. Enzymes in the liver include alanine transaminase, aspartate...
Tests that evaluate liver function include several enzymes found in the heart, skeletal muscle and red blood cells in addition to the liver. The greatest concentration of alanine aminotransferase, sometimes called ALT or sometimes SGPT and...
Health care workers mentally divide the abdomen into quadrants to localize complaints of abdominal pain. The organs and structures contained in each quadrant can cause regional or generalized abdominal pain and give the first clues about the...
Medical professionals commonly rely on blood tests to screen for liver disease. Liver function tests measure the levels of enzymes and other blood chemicals. The results of these tests help doctors assess the overall health of the liver. Many...
Elevated liver enzymes generally indicate some abnormality with the organ. Your liver enzymes rise when damage to liver cells releases them into the bloodstream. You often experience itching skin if you have severe jaundice, another indicator of...
An elevation of the liver enzymes indicates damage or inflammation to the liver cells. When this happens, these enzymes leak out into the bloodstream, where they can be detected and measured with blood tests. The causes for elevation of the liver...
Liver enzymes are proteins within the liver cells. These enzymes help the liver in its role of detoxifying the body of harmful substances and toxins. A liver panel is a group of tests that detects and evaluates liver disease or damage by...
Physicians use liver function tests to measure how well the liver is functioning as well as to indicate the presence of a disease and manage liver diseases. MayoClinic.com notes that some of the things liver function tests look at include proteins...
Liver enzymes are proteins within the liver cells that help that organ carry out many of its metabolic functions. An elevation of the liver enzymes indicates damage or inflammation of the liver. When this happens, a person may experience many...
According to the Mayo Clinic, doctors can assess the health of an individual's liver by performing a liver function panel. A liver function panel is a series of blood tests that measures the levels of enzymes and proteins in the blood. These blood...
Jaundice, also known by its medical name of icterus, is a condition characterized by yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes. The mucus membranes, such as those in the mouth, may also take on a yellow hue in people suffering from jaundice....
Hepatitis C is a disease that affects your liver -- an important organ that performs many vital functions in your body. Hepatitis, notes the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, describes inflammation of your liver and may cause...
Hepatitis C can increase your liver enzymes and cause damage to your liver. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3.2 million people in the United States have chronic hepatitis C infection. Educate yourself about the liver...
An antiviral drug, Valtrex is also marketed under its generic name, valacyclovir. It is designed to fight the herpes virus, which allows it to be used to treat chicken pox, shingles, as well as oral and genital herpes outbreaks. RxList notes that...
All of your body tissues contain a protein called alkaline phosphatase, or ALP for short. Your bones, liver and bile ducts contain especially high amounts. Your doctor primarily orders an ALP test to help detect liver disease. He may also order...
Gallstones are deposits of hardened digestive fluid that form in the gallbladder, according to Mayo Clinic. Gallstones range in size and can be accompanied by a number of symptoms, such as pain in the abdomen, fever and jaundice, which is a...
The liver is an important organ involved in the storage of sugars for the body's energy use. It also helps the body get rid of waste products and toxins, and manufactures proteins important in the body's immune response. When the liver is damaged,...
Increased levels of liver enzymes indicate inflammation, injury or damage to liver cells. The most commonly found elevated liver enzymes in blood tests are alanine transaminase, or ALT, and aspartate transaminase, or AST. In most cases, high...
Epstein Barr is a virus in the herpes family that can remain asymptomatic but may cause infectious mononucleosis (mono). Learn more about Epstein Barr including treatments and symptoms in this medical video.