The liver plays many important roles in our body, but unlike other organs such as for example heart, all its key functions are often not fully understood by the general public. Moreover, many liver conditions develop silently at first, without us noticing that it might not be functioning properly.

It can often happen that emerging liver issues go undiagnosed for a long time, sometimes until it is too late to fully restore it to its healthy state. This is why liver markers are often included in screening blood tests so doctors can use them to check how well your liver is functioning.

In this blog post we will explore the key roles in our body liver fulfills, what are some of the common issues related to it and cover common blood tests which can be use to monitor liver health proactively.

Why Liver Plays A Key Role In Our Body

Our liver fulfills over 500 essential functions in our body. Here are the most important ones:

1. Filtering our blood from toxins and waste - our liver is the main organ responsible for breaking down harmful substances in our bodies and helping remove them safely. These can be natural waste products of our bodies or come from our food, drinks (especially alcoholic ones) or from the medications we take. 

2. Supporting proper digestion - by producing bile essential for breakdown of fats in our intestines and thus not only helping provide an essential source of energy for our bodies but also enabling absorption of fat soluble vitamins like A, D, E or K.

3. Storing key nutrients and energy - these range from vitamins like A, D, E or K important for our vision, bone health, antioxidants or blood clotting, through minerals like iron and copper helping produce hemoglobin for oxygen transport, to energy storage in the form of glycogen where excess energy from carbohydrates is stored and released throughout the day as needed for example during exercise or long gaps between meals.

4. Helping process medications and hormones - liver helps regulate the levels of key hormones in our body by breaking down their excess amounts. It also ensures only the right levels of drugs pass into our bodies to prevent overdose while enabling therapies for conditions like hypertension or diabetes.

5. Making sure our blood stays healthy - Our liver filters almost 1.5 liters of blood every minute, ensuring removal of toxins and waste substances while maintaining the right nutritional balance so the rest of our body like our heart, brain or muscle tissues function properly.

Given how many important roles the liver plays, even small issues with it can have an impact on our overall health, many times before specific symptoms appear.

Common Diseases Affecting the Liver

1. Fatty liver disease - characterised by excess fat build up in liver cells, negatively affecting its key functions. It can be caused by factors like obesity, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol or insulin resistance. Often with no symptoms early on, it can result in serious liver damage like inflammation, scarring or cirrhosis if untreated. The good news is that if detected early it is often reversible with weight loss, healthy diet (low sugar/fat, high fruits/veggies), exercise and alcohol cessation.

2. Hepatitis (A, B, C) - Viral type A is spread via contaminated food or water while types B and C spread through contact with infected body fluids. Often with no symptoms early on, common liver inflammation signs include fatigue, nausea, abdominal pain, fever, jaundice (yellow skin/eyes) or dark urine. It can lead to cirrhosis if untreated. 

3. Alcohol related liver disease - caused by heavy, prolonged alcohol use and developing from fatty liver to alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis. If detected early, it can be in most cases reversed with abstinence and a healthy lifestyle. If untreated, it can lead to cirrhosis.

4. Cirrhosis - an irreversible scarring of liver tissue which impacts its key functions. Can be caused by hepatitis, long term alcohol use or complications related to fatty liver. Cirrhosis symptoms can include fatigue, weakness, appetite loss, nausea, itchy skin, easy bruising/bleeding, leg swelling (edema), abdominal fluid buildup, jaundice, spider veins or confusion from toxin accumulation.

5. Drug induced liver injury - can be caused by a reaction to prescription or over-the-counter medications, herbal supplements or illegal drugs and often mimicking viral hepatitis.  

Liver Health Screening and Monitoring

Liver health screening and monitoring involve blood tests, imaging, and risk assessments to detect damage early, track progression, and guide treatment for conditions like fatty liver or hepatitis.

Primary screening tests assessing liver health measure 

• ALT - Liver enzyme which rises with liver injury.

• AST - Enzyme from liver or muscle damage.

• Bilirubin - Bile pigment, high levels can cause jaundice.

• ALP - Enzyme which can suggest bile duct blockage.

• GGT - Enzyme sensitive to alcohol and bile.

• Albumin - Main blood protein indicating liver function.

• Total Protein - Reflects the liver’s overall protein-making function

Screening methods such as ultrasound, elastography, CT/MRI scans or liver biopsy can be performed as per doctor’s recommendations.

Additionally, these tests are focused on specific liver conditions:

Hepatitis - Hepatitis screening tests for Hepatitis A, B or C.

Fatty Liver - Lipid Profile to assess cardiometabolic risk or Blood Sugar (Fasting), HbA1c and Insulin to measure insulin resistance and diabetes risk.

Your doctor will assess which tests you require for comprehensive screening and treatment.

Liver Tests Available for Home Service by Klaro Health

Klaro Health offers a wide range of key liver diagnostic blood tests from the comfort of your home in partnership with licensed laboratories, such as ALT, AST, Bilirubin, ALP, GGT and others.

There are various liver screening packages to choose from such as for example Liver Profile with Basic Chem 11 or a range of individual tests to select on the basis of your doctor’s prescription.

There are also more focused tests like Hepatitis screening tests for Hepatitis A, B or C with Hepa ABC Screening panel combining all three types in one accessible package.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What tests check liver health?

Basic screening tests include ALT (liver enzyme which rises with liver injury),  AST (enzyme from liver or muscle damage), Bilirubin (bile pigment, high levels can cause jaundice), ALP (enzyme which can suggest bile duct blockage) or GGT (enzyme sensitive to alcohol and bile). 

For hepatitis there are tests checking for Hepatitis A, B and C which can help assess active disease or existing immunity levels. 

Additional tests will be recommended by your doctor as required.

2. Do I need to fast before liver tests?

The main liver tests do not require fasting but they are often combined with other tests for comprehensive liver risk assessment such as Fasting Blood Sugar or Fasting Lipid Profile which require fasting. Avoid alcohol consumption and heavy exercise 24 hours before your tests. Always follow recommendations of your doctor in patient preparation or pre-test instructions. 

3. When should I get my liver checked?

Annual screening is recommended for higher risk groups with factors such as obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, frequent alcohol use, or diabetes. The general population 18+ should get tested every 1-2 years for prevention and early detection.

Patients with known liver conditions such as fatty liver or other diseases should get tested more frequently as prescribed by their doctor.

About Klaro Health

Klaro Health brings accurate, safe and convenient blood testing services to your home in partnership with leading accredited laboratories. 

Klaro Health offers home service that is:

Accurate - In partnership with leading accredited labs, using fully automated barcode labelling to eliminate human errors.

Safe - PRC-certified, fully vaccinated and highly trained medical technologists using quality sterile equipment.

Convenient - Quick online booking in 10 minutes, next day home visits as early as 5AM and results delivered to your email within 24 hours for most tests.

Serving customers in Metro Manila, Klaro Health is perfect for families, seniors and anyone with busy schedules - spend less time worrying about early morning lab visits and enjoy more time with your loved ones!

Patients can select from a range of packages and tests on www.klaro.ph or upload a prescription here so the required tests can be selected by trained medics.