Can liver values also be examined in urine? | Liver values

Can liver values also be examined in urine?

Some liver values can also be determined by examining the urine. For this purpose, the so-called medium jet urine is usually used. The determination is usually carried out using test strips that are immersed in the urine. However, the examination of the urine does not provide absolute values, but only approximate information. The bilirubin or urobilinogen is one of the values tested.

Change in liver values during pregnancy

A change in liver values during pregnancy occurs relatively rarely. However, it is important to recognize them, otherwise serious consequences are imminent. You should also be aware that some liver values always change during pregnancy.

This has no disease value and is the typical adaptation of the mother’s body to the pregnancy. The typical liver values GOT, GPT and GGT should not show any changes. Also the serum bilirubin and the INR existing for coagulation estimation should not show any changes.

Urea and creatinine may be reduced without disease values. Hemoglobin and albumin may also be reduced. In contrast, there are some values that may be elevated.

These include alkaline phosphatase. Some other values may also be increased. However, these are not necessarily directly related to the liver. These are cholesterol, triglycerides (both blood fats), alpha-fetoprotein and fibrinogen. A deviation of the values in the other direction or a change in other liver values represents a disease value.

What are the reasons for an increase?

There can be many different causes behind an increase in liver values in blood serum, which primarily affect diseases of the liver and/or bile ducts, but can also be independent of these two organ systems. The most common causes are therefore acute or chronic hepatitis (inflammation of the liver), fatty liver (fatty liver, fatty liver hepatitis) caused by alcohol or non-alcohol, cirrhosis of the liver as the final stage of liver cell destruction, the long-term intake of medication (e.g. painkillers or antibiotics), which must be metabolized and broken down by the liver, obstruction of the bile ducts by gallstones or fungal poisoning. Rarer causes of elevated liver values include iron storage disease (hemochromatosis), chronic inflammation of the bile ducts (primarily sclerosing cholangitis), liver cancer or copper storage disease (Wilson’s disease).Because the enzymes known as liver values also occur in various other organs of the body, an increase – especially in the transaminases GOT and GPT – can also be an expression of other diseases that have nothing to do with the liver or the bile ducts.

Since the GOT also occurs in large quantities in the heart and skeletal muscles, for example, damage there (e.g. heart attack, skeletal muscle diseases) can also lead to an increase in liver values or GOT. Furthermore, heavy physical training, infectious diseases (syphilis, tuberculosis, worms), hormonal imbalances (thyroid dysfunction, diabetes), cardiovascular diseases (heart failure, pericardial effusion) and a permanently increased stress (increased cortisol release) can also be the cause. Alcohol is considered one of the substances that have a toxic effect on the liver and, if consumed regularly or excessively, lead to long-term damage to the liver cells.

The amount of alcohol that is harmful to humans varies from person to person, but as a general limit value it can roughly be said that 40g alcohol per day for men and 20g alcohol per day for women is the upper limit that the liver can barely bear. Excessive or prolonged consumption of alcohol above the acceptable limit leads to a change in the metabolic state of the liver cells over time and the cells are overtaxed, so that toxic by-products are formed (acetaldehyde) when the constantly flowing alcohol is broken down. These by-products accumulate in the liver and – initially – lead to fatty degeneration of the liver with possible accompanying inflammation of the liver (fatty liver hepatitis), which, if alcohol consumption continues, can develop into liver cell destruction and fibrosis (liver cirrhosis).

Chronic alcohol consumption can be conspicuous by increased CDT and MCV values during blood sampling. If liver cell damage or even liver cell death occurs, specific liver values such as gGT, GOT and GPT also increase. The level of liver values can usually be correlated with the extent of liver damage.

Stress has many effects on the body. In addition to consequences for the psyche, stress can also affect the organs of the body. If stress is present over a longer period of time, it can also affect the function of the liver.

This becomes noticeable through increased liver values. Typically, the transaminases GOT and GPT are elevated. The synthesis capacity of the liver is usually not affected.

Furthermore, the increase in liver values is usually not perceived subjectively, but is only noticed when determined in the laboratory. Further consequences of stress on the body can be found in this article: Consequences of stressThe vitamin D is converted into a hormone in the liver by various enzymes. The transaminases GOT and GPT are involved in this process.

There is an interdependence between vitamin D and the enzymes. This means that if there is a deficiency of vitamin D, more enzymes are formed for the production and conversion of the vitamin into the hormone. As a result, the liver values of the GOT and GPT are increased in the case of vitamin D deficiency. If the liver is diseased and its function is limited, there is a deficiency of vitamin D.