Hepatitis Add-On Panel

CMP-14 Includes:

Glucose-Blood sugar level, most direct single test to uncover diabetes, may be used not only to identify diabetes, but also to evaluate how one controls the disease.

Kidney Profile
Bun or Urea Nitrogen—Another by-product of protein metabolism eliminated through the kidneys. BUN is an indicator of kidney function.
Creatinine, Serum—An indicator of kidney function.
Bun/Creatinine Ratio—Calculated by dividing the BUN by the Creatinine.
Glomerular Filtration (eGFR)—Provides an assessment of the filtering capacity of the kidney.

Fluids & Electrolytes
Sodium—One of the major salts in the body fluid, sodium is important in the body's water balance and the electrical activity of nerves and muscles.
Potassium—Helps to control the nerves and muscles.
Chloride—Similar to sodium, it helps to maintain the body's electrolyte balance.
Carbon Dioxide, Total—Used to help detect, evaluate, and monitor electrolyte imbalances.
Calcium-A mineral essential for development and maintenance of healthy bones and teeth. It is important also for the normal function of muscles, nerves and blood clotting.
Protein, Total—Together with albumin, it is a measure of the state of nutrition in the body.
Albumin—Serum one of the major proteins in the blood and a reflection of the general state of nutrition.
Globulin, Total—A major group of proteins in the blood comprising the infection fighting antibodies.
Albumin/Globulin Ratio—Calculated by dividing the albumin by the globulin.
Bilirubin, Total—A chemical involved with liver functions. High concentrations may result in jaundice.
Alkaline Phosphatase—A body protein important in diagnosing proper bone and liver functions.
Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST or SGOT)—an enzyme found in skeletal and heart muscle, liver and other organs. Abnormalities may represent liver disease.
Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT or SGPT)—an enzyme found primarily in the liver. Abnormalities may represent liver disease.
Serum iron level measures the level of iron in the liquid part of your blood.

Total Iron Binding Capacity (TIBC) - measures the amount of transferrin, a blood protein that transports iron from the gut to the cells that use it. Your body makes transferrin in relationship to your need for iron; when iron stores are low, transferrin levels increase, while transferrin is low when there is too much iron. Usually about one third of the transferrin is being used to transport iron. Because of this, your blood serum has considerable extra iron-binding capacity, which is the Unsaturated Iron Biding Capacity (UIBC). The TIBC equals UIBC plus the serum iron measurement. Some laboratories measure UIBC, some measure TIBC, and some measure transferrin.

Ferritin is a protein inside of cells that stores iron for later use by your body. The small amount of ferritin that is released into blood reflects the total amount of storage iron. Iron is also stored as hemosiderin, a complex of iron, proteins, and other materials. Ferritin and hemosiderin are present primarily in the liver but also in the bone marrow, spleen, and skeletal muscles. In healthy people, most iron is stored as ferritin (an estimated 70% in men and 80% in women) and smaller amounts are stored as hemosiderin.

The ANA test identifies the presence of antinuclear antibodies (ANA) in the blood. These auto antibodies attack the body’s own cells, causing signs and symptoms such as tissue and organ inflammation, joint and muscle pain, and fatigue. The presence of ANA is a marker of an autoimmune process and is associated with several autoimmune disorders but is most commonly seen in the autoimmune disorder systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Depending on the patient’s symptoms and the suspected diagnosis, ANA may be ordered along with one or more other auto-antibody tests. Other laboratory tests associated with presence of inflammation, such as erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and/or C-reactive protein (CRP) may also be ordered.

The prothrombin time (PT) test measures how long it takes for a clot to form in a sample of blood. The PT test is usually measured in seconds and is compared to values in healthy individuals. Because the reagents used to perform the PT test vary from one laboratory to another and even within the same laboratory over time, the normal values also will fluctuate. To standardize results across the U.S. and the world, a World Health Organization (WHO) committee developed and recommended the use of the Internationalized Normalized Ratio (INR) with the PT test for patients who are receiving the blood-thinning medication warfarin (Coumadin). The INR is a calculation that adjusts for changes in the PT reagents and allows for results from different laboratories to be compared. Most laboratories are now reporting both PT and INR values whenever a PT test is performed.

Ceruloplasmin is a copper-containing enzyme that plays a role in the body’s iron metabolism. Copper is an essential mineral that is absorbed into the body through diet. Absorbed in the intestines it is then transported to the liver, where it is stored or used in the production of a variety of enzymes. The liver binds copper to apoceruloplasmin to produce ceruloplasmin and then releases it into the bloodstream. About 95% of the copper in the blood is bound to ceruloplasmin. Because of this, the ceruloplasmin test can be used along with one or more copper tests to help diagnose Wilson’s disease and evaluate copper metabolism.

Alpha-1 Antitrypsin (AAT) Detection of hereditary decreases in production of α1-antitrypsin (α1AT). Decreased or nearly absent levels of α1AT can be a factor in chronic obstructive lung disease and liver disease. An increased prevalence of non-MM phenotypes is found with cryptogenic cirrhosis and with CAH. Cirrhosis in a child should raise consideration of α1AT deficiency or Wilson disease. Diagnosis of inflammatory states, if elevated (eg, rheumatoid arthritis, bacterial infection, neoplasia, vasculitis).