Description
Hepatic Function Panel Test is a blood test panel that includes several tests that measure specific proteins and liver enzymes to get an overall sense of how well the liver is working. This blood test is used to screen for liver damage and is used to help diagnose and monitor liver disease. The Liver is a key component in the human digestive system. It typically weighs over three pounds, and it’s usually about the size of a football. It’s located on the upper right side of the abdomen behind the ribs and underneath the diaphragm.
The liver carries out over 500 tasks throughout the body, but its main focus is metabolic. The human liver filters up to 1.5 liters of blood per minute. At any given time the liver holds 10% of the total blood in your body. Anything consumed goes through the liver, which then breaks down the food, extracts the energy, and removes any toxins from the bloodstream. The liver filters the blood coming from the digestive tract, before passing it along to the rest of the body. This organ also detoxifies chemicals and metabolizes drugs and secretes bile that ends up back in the intestines. The liver also makes proteins that are important for blood clotting and other functions. Hepatic Function Panel Test measures the levels of specific enzymes and proteins in the blood and how well the liver is performing its normal functions.
This test includes the evaluation of The Total Protein, Albumin, Globulin (calculated), Albumin/Globulin Ratio (calculated), Total Bilirubin, Direct Bilirubin, Indirect Bilirubin (calculated), Alkaline Phosphatase, AST and ALT.
