Hepatitis C virus infection can cause progressive liver injury and lead to fibrosis and eventually cirrhosis. Peginterferon alfa-2a represents a significant advance in the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C. The aim of the study was to investigate the efficacy, safety and tolerability of the therapy with Peginterferon alfa-2a plus Ribavirin in patients with chronic hepatitis C. The ...

A number of pitfalls can be encountered in the interpretation of common blood liver function tests. These tests can be normal in patients with chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis. The normal range for aminotransferase levels is slightly higher in males, nonwhites and obese persons. Severe alcoholic hepatitis is sometimes confused with cholecystitis or cholangitis. Conversely, patients who present so...

The complex coagulation defect secondary to chronic liver disease is considered responsible for the bleeding problems that often are associated with the disease. Accordingly, clinicians order laboratory tests to assess the risk of bleeding and rely on these results to make decisions about the management of the associated coagulation disturbances. Recent data, however, indicate that the abnormal...

This series of occasional articles provides an update on the best use of key diagnostic tests in the initial investigation of common or important clinical presentations. The series advisers are Steve Atkin, professor, head of department of academic endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism, Hull York Medical School; and Eric Kilpatrick, honorary professor, department of clinical biochemistry, Hul...

In 131 patients on a medical service and 97 patients on a surgical service, in whom a diagnosis of hepatobiliary disease was verified in the hospital, the diagnostic value of routine liver tests performed soon after admission was evaluated by stepwise discriminant analysis. By measurements of alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatases, gamma globulin, prothrombin time, bilirubin, and album...

Five laboratory assays are commonly called liver function tests (LFTs), although these tests are neither specific to the liver nor true measures of liver function. As a result, alanine aminotransferase (ALT or SGPT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST or SGOT), gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and bilirubin have proven problematic for clinicians and risk selection profes...

Recent advances in the treatment of liver disease and the increased prevalence of infectious hepatitis have stimulated interest in tests of liver function. These have proved useful both in diagnosis and in following the course of liver disease. Their value, however, has been questioned by some and overrated by others. In approaching this problem it is well to recognize at the outset that liver ...