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Thursday, September 30, 2010

Kidney Function Test (KFT) Report for HCV Positive Patient

LFT for HCV Positive Patient

Most important component of KFT or Kidney Function test is urea and creatine. The range of value in which these varies is  (10 to 50) and (0.4 to 1.1) respectively. Renal failure is one of the complication in liver deseases so, KFT have to be periodically monitored.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Liver Function Test (LFT) Report or Liver Profile test for HCV Positive Patient (diagnosed with HCV a month ago)

 

  • Serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT) or aspartate aminotransferaseASAT/AAT/AspAT) ( is a enzyme associated with liver parenchymal cells. It is raised in acute liver damage. It is also present in red blood cell and cardiac muscles, skeletal muscle, and kidney and brain tissue, and may be elevated due to damage to those sources as well. Reference range of SGOT for male is 8 - 40 IU/L and the range for female is 6 - 34 IU/L 
  • SGPT: Serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase, an enzyme that is normally present in liver and heart cells. SGPT is released into blood when the liver or heart are damaged. The blood SGPT levels are thus elevated with liver damage (for example, from viral hepatitis) or with heart attack. Range of SGPT is less than 31.00. 
  • GGPT is a liver function test to how well your liver is functioning low is good High is bad 17-37 is within normal ranges. High means your liver enzimes are too concentrated. It is a test that is done if the Alkaline Phosphatase is abnormal. Alkaline Phosphatase can come from Liver, Bone and other sources. Whereas GGTP is more specific to the liver. If your Alk Phos is abnormal and GGTP is normal, then there is a reasonable chance that abnormal Alk Phos was not coming from the liver.   
  • Alkaline phosphatase: An enzyme made in the liver, bone, and the placenta and normally present in high concentrations in growing bone and in bile. Alkaline phosphatase is released into the blood during injury and during such normal activities as bone growth and pregnancy. It is measured in a routine blood test.Reference range is 95 - 240 U/L. 
  • Bilirubin is a yellowish pigment found in bile, a fluid produced by the liver. Bilirubin is excreted in bile and urine, and elevated levels may indicate certain diseases. It is responsible for the yellow color of bruises, urine, and the yellow discoloration in jaundice. Reference range for direct bilirubin is less than 1.00, it is less than 0.3 for direct bilirubin and 0.7 for indirect bilirubin. 
  • Serum total protein, also called plasma total protein or total protein, is a biochemical test for measuring the total amount of protein in bloodplasma or serum. Protein in the plasma is made up of albumin and globulin. The globulin in turn is made up of α1, α2, β, and γ globulins. Its range is 6.60 to 8.70. 
  • Albumin is a protein made by the liver. A serum albumin test measures the amount of this protein in the clear liquid portion of the blood. Reference range is 3.4 to 4.8.  
  • The albumin/globulin ratio is the calculation of serum albumin compare to serum globulin level to determine whether there is an overproduction or underproduction of gamma-globulin. A low A/G ratio may be due to overproduction of gamma-globulin (monoclonal/polyclonal gammopathy,  multiple myeloma or autoimmune diseases etc.) or due to low albumin (low production as  in cirrhosis or excessive loss as in  nephrotic syndrome or protein losing enteropathy etc.).In contrast, if the A/G ratio is high then one should look for diseases with low gamma-globulin production such as agammaglobuminemia. Reference range is 0.90 - 2.00.

    Friday, September 24, 2010

    what is HEP C

    Hepatitis C is a liver disease. Liver disease caused by hepatitis C virus (HCV) causes significant morbidity and mortality among patients with endstage renal disease (ESRD) treated with hemodialysis (HD). Prevalence of anti-HCV antibody among HD patients is consistently higher than in general population indicating increased risk of acquiring HCV infection among HD patients. The hepatitis C virus is spread by blood-to-blood contact. Most people have few, if any symptoms after the initial infection, yet the virus persists in the liver in about 85% of those infected. Persistent infection can be treated with medication, pegiterferon and ribavirin being the standard-of-care therapy. Fifty-one percent are cured overall. Those who develop cirrhosis or liver cancer may require a liver tranplant, and the virus universally recurs after transplantation.

    Until 1989 medical science was unaware that it even existed. There was no name for it and people that had it and actually had symptoms, either went undiagnosed or the liver problems were labeled as other diseases. Before the disease was identified doctors were seeing patients with a form of hepatitis that was labeled ?non A or non B? hepatitis. Once they discovered that it was a different and unique form of hepatitis, they named it hepatitis C. It has been called the silent killer. Doctors quickly realized that this ?new? form of hepatitis was particularly deadly because patients often had little or no symptoms other than flu like aches and pains, fatigue and occasionally, elevated liver enzymes (ALT and AST) until their liver failed due to cirrhosis or cancer. Although this was particularly troubling, they soon realized that because the disease had only recently been discovered, that infected people had unknowingly been donating blood and that the disease had been transmitted through blood transfusions. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimates that over the coming decade the death toll from hepatitis C will triple, surpassing that of AIDS. Four times as many Americans are infected with the hepatitis C virus as with HIV.

    You could get hepatitis C from
    • being born to a mother with hepatitis C
    • having sex with an infected person
    • being tattooed or pierced with unsterilized tools that were used on an infected person
    • getting an accidental needle stick with a needle that was used on an infected person
    • using an infected person’s razor or toothbrush
    • sharing drug needles with an infected person

    You cannot get hepatitis C from
    • shaking hands with an infected person
    • hugging an infected person
    • sitting next to an infected person
     

    What are the symptoms of hepatitis C?

    Most people have no symptoms until the virus causes liver damage, which can take 10 or more years to happen. Others have one or more of the following symptoms:
    • yellowish eyes and skin, called jaundice
    • a longer than usual amount of time for bleeding to stop
    • swollen stomach or ankles
    • easy bruising
    • tiredness
    • upset stomach
    • fever
    • loss of appetite
    • diarrhea
    • light-colored stools
    • dark yellow urine

    What is chronic hepatitis C?

    Hepatitis C is chronic when the body can’t get rid of the hepatitis C virus. Although some people clear the virus from their bodies in a few months, most hepatitis C infections become chronic. Without treatment, chronic hepatitis C can cause scarring of the liver, called cirrhosis; liver cancer; and liver failure.
    Symptoms of cirrhosis include

    How is hepatitis C diagnosed?

    Hepatitis C is diagnosed through blood tests, which can also show if you have chronic hepatitis C or another type of hepatitis. Your doctor may suggest getting a liver biopsy if chronic hepatitis C is suspected. A liver biopsy is a test for liver damage. The doctor uses a needle to remove a tiny piece of liver, which is then looked at with a microscope.