This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Investigations

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

It is essential to take an accurate history of alcohol intake.

  • FBC: may reveal macrocytosis
  • LFTs:
    • a raised gamma GT indicates possible alcohol abuse
    • abnormal ALT reflects hepatocellular damage
    • an AST:ALT ratio that is greater than 2 suggests alcoholic damage
  • there may be an elevated serum IgA; anti-smooth muscle antibodies may be found
  • liver biopsy: reveals extent of liver damage and suggests prognosis

Investigations not specific for liver disease:

  • serum carbohydrate-deficient transferrin: this is a sensitive test for alcoholism, but does not reveal the presence or absence of liver disease
  • blood alcohol

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.