Are there any examination that can give me an accurate picture of my liver health?
Liver Health Series
Why should we understand and pay attention to our liver health? Because liver disease, such as fatty liver, is a disease that causes liver health to decline unconsciously. It causes the liver to go through many stages, such as steatohepatitis, liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, all the way to liver cancer. But usually this process is asymptomatic and symptoms do not appear until it is irreversible.
How can you understand and pay attention to liver health? Liver health examinations are roughly divided into four types: blood test, ultrasound, liver biopsy, and FibroScan. They each have advantages and risks, so choose carefully.
General blood test
Advantages: Simply draw blood and check the liver function index to infer and reflect the degree of inflammation and the activity of the hepatitis virus.
Risks: Can be affected by different physical conditions and other health issues, fatty liver cannot be accurately diagnosed. Fatty liver, liver inflammation and liver fibrosis even with normal liver function indexes.
Ultrasound
Advantages: Non-invasive examination, which can observe whether there are tumors or fatty liver in the liver.
Risk: The sensitivity is not high (30% or above can be detected), and it can only detect fatty liver, liver inflammation and severe cirrhosis. However, liver fibrosis could not be diagnosed, and the extent of the liver diseases could not be quantified.
Liver Biopsy
Advantages: International standard examination for diagnosing liver fibrosis, which can diagnose fatty liver, liver inflammation and liver fibrosis.
Risks: Invasive examination, which requires the use of a needle to extract the patient's liver tissue for testing. There is a risk of bleeding and needs to be performed in the operating room and stayed in the hospital for observation. Liver tissue obtained does not fully reflect the health of the entire liver and can only reflect a small part of the liver where the tissue is extracted.
Fatty Liver and Liver Fibrosis examination (FibroScan)
Advantages: International standard examination for diagnosing fatty liver and liver fibrosis, comprehensive, safe, non-invasive, radiation-free and painless liver health examination, quantifying the severity of fatty liver and fibrosis, allowing patients to undergo interventional treatment Repeat the examinatioin later for comparison is possible.
Risks: Not knowing the extent of liver inflammation.
Comprehensive, safe, non-invasive, radiation-free and painless liver health check-ups can protect your liver health regularly and prevent hidden liver diseases from harming your liver.