Enzymes of the liver - this is one of the most important components of biochemical processes in the body. Since the liver performs a huge number of functions, the enzymes synthesized by it are divided into several groups: excretory, indicator and secretory. With a variety of diseases and liver damage in the blood plasma, the enzyme content changes. This phenomenon is an important diagnostic indicator.
Which liver enzymes are used in diagnosis?
Enzymes of the liver, the content of which can be increased in diseases accompanied by the destruction of hepatocytes, are called indicator enzymes. These include:
- glutamate dehydrogenase (Gldg);
- aspartate aminotransferase (AST);
- lactate dehydrogenase (LDH);
- gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT);
- alanine aminotransferase (ALT).
Most often, liver disease is prescribed a blood test for the determination of the enzyme content of AST and ALT. For women, the norm of ACT is 20-40 U / l. With necrotic or mechanical damage to hepatocytes, these enzymes dramatically increase activity.
The norm of the content of liver enzymes ALT in the blood is 12-32 U / l (female). With infectious ailments, their activity significantly increases - in dozens of times. In this case, the clinical symptoms of the disease may be absent. That is why ALT is very often used to detect hepatitis at an early stage.
Another diagnostic tool is the de Ritis coefficient (AST / ALT ratio). In a healthy person, it is 1.3.
Additional hepatic assays for enzymes
To conduct a more accurate differentiation of diseases, the laboratory can additionally examine the analysis and find out all elevated liver enzymes in the blood. At various dystrophic lesions of the liver, oncological diseases, severe poisoning and infectious diseases, the patient's Gldg content (in
Part of the liver enzymes are secreted into the bile ducts. They take part in digestion. Such an enzyme is alkaline phosphatase. Normally the content of alkaline earth metals should not exceed 120 U / l. But if metabolic metabolic processes are violated, this index increases to almost 400 U / l.