Ian vlogs

Tip para konti lng hugasin mo na tube sa laboratory mamaya.
Lagay mo sa bag Ang Iba, then ibalik mo pagkabukas pag turn na Ng Kasama mo maghugas 😏

Alam ko may mga medtech na naman na maging manghuhula sa last meal ng mga pasyenteng may fasting test ngayon Umaga😏.

Akala ko pasyente at specimen lang ang toxic sa laboratory. Printer rin pala😏.

Enzymatic tests for liver = blood tests that measure liver enzymes + proteins released when liver cells are injured or working harder.

Doctors use them to check for liver damage, inflammation, bile flow problems, and function.

*Main Liver Enzymatic Tests*

1. ALT - Alanine Aminotransferase or
SGPT- Serum Glutamyl Pyruvate Transferase

What: Enzyme inside liver cells
Why it matters: Most specific for liver injury
High in: Hepatitis, fatty liver, drug toxicity, alcohol.
2. AST - Aspartate Aminotransferase or
SGOT- Serum Glutamyl Oxaloacetic Transferase

What: Enzyme in liver, heart, muscle, kidney
Why it matters: Less specific than ALT, but rises with liver damage too
High in: Alcoholic hepatitis, cirrhosis, muscle injury, heart attack.

3. ALP - Alkaline Phosphatase
What: Enzyme in bile duct cells And Bone🦴
Why it matters: Marker of bile flow/obstruction
High in: Gallstones, bile duct blockage, tumors, pregnancy, growing kids.

4. GGT - Gamma Glutamyl Transferase
What: Enzyme in bile duct cells
Why it matters: Most sensitive for bile duct problems + alcohol
*High in*: Alcohol use, bile obstruction, some meds.

5. LDH - Lactate Dehydrogenase
What: Enzyme in many tissues including liver
Why it matters: Non-specific. Rises with cell death
High in: Severe hepatitis, cancer, hemolytic disease

*Important notes*
1. Enzymes ≠ Function: High enzymes = injury. They don’t tell you if the liver is still working.

For function check Albumin, PT/INR, Bilirubin.
2. Mild elevation is common: Fatty liver and meds are #1 causes today.

3. Trends matter more than 1 result:
Doctors watch if they go up/down with treatment.

Educational only. Not medical advice. If your liver enzymes are abnormal, follow up with a doctor.

Earthquake again! Stay safe everyone.! 🫨 Earthquake 🫨 🙏

Significance of Free T4 Test

Free T4 = Free Thyroxine
It’s one of the main tests to check thyroid function.

What is Free T4?*
T4 = Thyroxine, the main hormone made by your thyroid gland.
99.9% of T4 in blood is "bound" to proteins like TBG. Only 0.1% is "free".
Free T4 = the unbound hormone that can actually enter cells and do work.

That’s why we measure “free” instead of just “total T4”. It’s not affected by pregnancy, birth control, or liver disease that change binding proteins.

Why doctors order it
Situations:
What Free T4 tells us?
Suspected thyroid disease Together with TSH, it diagnoses hypo or hyperthyroidism, Monitor thyroid treatment Tracks if levothyroxine or anti-thyroid meds are working.

Pregnancy🤰- Free T4 is the best way to assess thyroid status because TBG is high

Sick patients / ICU Helps differentiate true thyroid disease vs "sick euthyroid syndrome

Disclaimer: Educational only. Not medical advice. Thyroid labs should be interpreted with symptoms clinical context by a doctor.

These 5 tests are the core “kidney panel” doctors use. Think of them as *different windows into how well your kidneys are filtering + handling waste* 🫘

Kidney Function Tests: What Each One Tells You

1. Creatinine
What it is: Waste product from muscle breakdown. Made at a steady rate.
Kidney’s job: Filter it out into urine 24/7.
What high means: GFR ↓ = kidneys not filtering well. Used to calculate eGFR.
What low means: Usually low muscle mass, not kidney disease.
Drawbacks: Affected by muscle mass, age, s*x, diet.

2. Blood Urea Nitrogen [BUN]
What it is: Waste from protein metabolism in the liver → urea → kidneys filter it.
Kidney’s job: Excrete it
What high means: Kidney dysfunction, dehydration, high protein intake, GI bleeding, heart failure.

What low means: Liver disease, low protein intake, overhydration, pregnancy.
Drawbacks: NOT kidney-specific. Very sensitive to hydration, diet, and catabolism.

3. Cystatin C
What it is: Protein made by all nucleated cells at a constant rate.
Kidney’s job: Filtered completely by glomeruli, no tubular secretion.
Why it’s better than creatinine: Not affected by muscle mass, age, s*x, diet. Rises earlier with mild kidney damage.
What high means: Decreased GFR.
Use case: Obese, elderly, very muscular, amputees, or when Cr + eGFR don’t fit symptoms. Often combined with Cr for eGFRcr-cys.
Drawbacks: More expensive. Can be affected by thyroid disease, steroids, inflammation.

4. Uric Acid
What it is: End product of purine breakdown.
Kidney’s job: Excrete ∼70% of it.
What high means: ↓ Kidney excretion = CKD, dehydration, diuretics. Or ↑ production = gout, high-purine diet, cell turnover.
What low means: Rare. Over-excretion, some drugs, liver disease.
Kidney link: High uric acid can also _cause_ kidney damage via crystals/inflammation. CKD and gout often go together.
Drawbacks: Not a primary kidney function test. More a risk/marker.

5. Urinalysis [UA]
What it is: Direct look at urine, not blood.
Kidney’s job: What’s leaking through?
Key parts for kidneys:
1. Protein/Albumin: Should be negative. Proteinuria = glomerular damage. Earliest sign of diabetic/hypertensive kidney disease.
2. Blood: RBCs, casts = glomerulonephritis, stones, infection.
3. Specific Gravity: How concentrated is urine?

4. Glucose, Ketones, Nitrites, Leukocyte esterase: Rule out diabetes, infection.
5. Microscopy: Casts = kidney tubule injury. Crystals = stones.

*Why it matters most*: You can have a “normal” creatinine but positive protein/blood on UA = early kidney disease.

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How They Work Together
> Creatinine + Cystatin C = “How fast are kidneys filtering?” → GFR estimate
> BUN = “How much waste is building up?” + hydration status
> Uric Acid = “Excretion issue + gout risk”
> Urinalysis= “Is the kidney filter leaking or damaged?” → earliest clue

Disclaimer:Educational only. Not medical advice. If labs are abnormal, follow up with a doctor/nephrologist