Blood Drug Testing

What blood tests are done for kidney and liver functions?

Public Comments

1. lab test for kidney disease: albumin, calcium, creatinine, estimated GFR, creatinine clearance, electrolytes, erythropoietin, microalbumin, parathyroid hormone, phosphate, potassium, prealbumin, renin, urinalysis, urine culture, vitamin D lab test for liver functions: Liver panel, AST, ALP, ALT, Albumin, Bilirubin, PT, AFP, Total protein
2. Sara, that's a very comprehensive list, but no all those tests are likely to be done except in very special circumstances. the normal SCREENING panel for kidney disease would be Blood Sodium, Potassium, Creatinine, Urea and Bicarbonate and often Calculated GFR,, tests like Renin are highly specialised and expensive and would only be done if other results, and clinical sighns and symptoms indicated it was necessary. I used to work in a lab doing these tests, and whereas we would do The basic screening tests on some 4 or 500 people a day, things like erythropoetin and renin might well be done only 4 or 5 times a month, You list of Liver function tests is the normal screening panel
3. As a kidney patient who's been through the tests - I would agree with Mike that initially a standard blood test checking hb, creatinine, potassium and urea (amongst the other things!) would be undertaken. A quick glance at your creatinine level will clearly show a general kidney function. A healthy person should have creatinine of around 100 I went on dialysis with creatinine of 450 - but then I'm a smallish person - a large man could have a creatinine of 1000 before needing dialysis. Basically any creatinine over 150 or 200 will indicate some sort of problem. Check out this info. http://renux.dmed.ed.ac.uk/EdREN/EdRenINFObits/kidneytests.html http://www.kidney.org.uk/Medical-Info/other/know_nos.html