Health Human Disease Blog

The liver, the largest organ in the body, has a wide array of metabolic functions. Indeed, it plays a central role in many essential physiological pro­cesses, including glucose homeostasis, plasma protein synthesis, lipid and lipoprotein synthesis, bile acid synthesis and secretion, and vitamin storage (B12, A, D, E, and K), as well as biotrans­formation, detoxification, and excretion of a vast array of endogenous and exogenous compounds. The clinical manifestations of liver disease are, likewise, varied and may be quite subtle. Clues to the existence, severity, and etiology of liver dis­ease may be obtained from a careful history and physical examination or by routine laboratory screening tests. Clinical clues to the presence of liver disease will be briefly mentioned here and are discussed more fully in other chapters. This chapter will focus on the use of laboratory tests in the evaluation of liver disease.