Health Library / Blood tests
Liver function test in Lucknow: fatty liver, and reading an LFT report
· 6 min read · Lucknow
A liver function test turns up in almost every health package, and mildly raised enzymes are one of the most common abnormal results people are handed with no explanation attached.
The panel is really three different things bundled together: enzymes that leak when liver cells are irritated, markers of bile flow, and measures of how well the liver is actually working. They are not the same question.
What each line is measuring
SGPT (ALT) and SGOT (AST) are enzymes inside liver cells. When cells are inflamed or injured, these leak into the blood. ALT is the more liver-specific of the two.
Alkaline phosphatase and GGT relate to the bile ducts, and rise when bile flow is obstructed or irritated. Bilirubin is what causes jaundice when it accumulates. Albumin and prothrombin time are the true function tests — they measure what the liver is actually making, and they fall or lengthen only when function is genuinely impaired.
- SGPT / ALT and SGOT / AST — liver cell irritation or injury
- ALP and GGT — bile duct and bile flow
- Bilirubin — the pigment behind jaundice
- Albumin and prothrombin time — how well the liver is working, not just whether it is irritated
Fatty liver, and why it is everywhere now
The commonest cause of mildly raised ALT in an urban Indian adult who does not drink heavily is non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and it travels with the things that also drive diabetes and heart disease — abdominal weight, insulin resistance, high triglycerides.
It is usually silent, which is why it is typically found on a routine panel rather than through symptoms. It also matters more than its reputation suggests: in a minority of people it progresses to inflammation and scarring over years.
The encouraging part is that it is one of the more reversible findings in medicine. Weight reduction, cutting sugar and refined carbohydrate, and regular activity genuinely improve it — often more than any medicine.
What comes next after a raised result
A single mildly raised enzyme is often repeated first, because transient rises follow alcohol, a recent viral illness, strenuous exercise, and a long list of medicines and supplements — including some over-the-counter painkillers and herbal preparations. Tell your doctor everything you take, prescribed or not.
If it persists, the usual next steps are an ultrasound of the abdomen to look for fat and texture change, hepatitis B and C testing, and a FibroScan where the question is how much stiffness or scarring has developed. A FibroScan is quick, painless and non-invasive, and answers a question ultrasound alone cannot.
This article is general health information, not a diagnosis or a treatment plan. Test results are read alongside your symptoms and history — please discuss yours with your doctor. See our disclaimer.
