Liver Function Test (LFT)
LFT is a comprehensive panel that evaluates liver health by measuring enzymes (ALT, AST, ALP, GGT), bilirubin, albumin, and total protein. It helps diagnose and monitor liver diseases.
12 hours
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What the Liver Function Test (LFT) test tells you
A liver function test is a panel rather than a single measurement. One report brings together the transaminases ALT and AST, the bile-related enzymes ALP and GGT, bilirubin, albumin and total protein. The name is slightly misleading, because only part of the panel measures how well the liver is working. The enzymes are substances that leak out of liver cells when those cells are irritated or injured, so they are best thought of as damage markers. Albumin and bilirubin come closer to true function: one reflects the liver's ability to manufacture protein, the other its ability to clear a waste pigment out of the blood and into bile.
The panel earns its value from the pattern across its components, not from any one line. When ALT and AST are raised well out of proportion to the rest, the picture is described as hepatocellular, meaning the liver cells themselves are inflamed, as happens with fatty liver disease, viral hepatitis, alcohol or a reaction to a medicine. When ALP and GGT dominate instead, the pattern is called cholestatic and suggests bile is not draining freely, whether because of a gallstone, a narrowed duct or a drug affecting bile flow. A raised ALP with an unremarkable GGT often shifts attention away from the liver towards bone. Bilirubin shows whether the disturbance has reached the point of affecting waste clearance, and albumin, which changes slowly, hints at whether a problem is long-standing rather than recent.
Mild abnormalities in this panel are common and frequently have an undramatic explanation, including fatty liver related to weight and metabolic health, a recent course of medication, alcohol over a weekend or even strenuous exercise lifting AST from muscle. The panel describes the direction and scale of a disturbance; it does not name its cause. That is why your doctor pays attention to the trend across repeat testing, and why an abnormal result is usually followed by a medication and alcohol review, viral hepatitis testing and an ultrasound rather than by a conclusion.
Routine screening for liver health, monitoring hepatotoxic medications, evaluating alcohol-related liver damage, and investigating symptoms like fatigue, jaundice, or abdominal pain.
Fatty liver and early liver injury usually cause no symptoms at all. A panel can reveal a disturbance long before anyone feels unwell.
Several common drugs place a measurable load on the liver, and regular panels are how that is watched. The same panel tracks the effect of alcohol intake over time.
The balance between ALT and AST on one side and ALP and GGT on the other tells your doctor which part of the system is disturbed. That distinction drives what is investigated next.
Yellowing of the eyes or skin, dark urine, itching and unexplained tiredness are all reasons to look at the liver. The panel gives a structured first answer.
Reasons your doctor may request the Liver Function Test (LFT) test
Your doctor may order this test for any of the reasons below. Some are routine checks, others follow specific symptoms or an earlier result.
Routine liver screening
Routine health screening, particularly alongside metabolic risk factors such as weight gain or diabetes.
Jaundice & other liver symptoms
Yellowing of the eyes or skin, pale stools, dark urine or persistent itching.
Unexplained fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite or discomfort under the right ribs.
Medication & alcohol
Ongoing treatment with a medicine known to affect the liver, at the intervals your doctor sets.
Regular alcohol intake, or an assessment of liver health after cutting down.
No fasting window — pick any slot that suits you, online or on WhatsApp.
A DHA-licensed nurse collects your sample at home or in the office — free home collection.
A physician-reviewed, easy-to-read report lands securely by WhatsApp and email.
A panel assessing liver health.
Liver Function Test (LFT)
A panel assessing liver health.
This panel reports several liver markers (bilirubin, ALT, AST, ALP, proteins and more). See your detailed report for individual values.
This test is reported descriptively rather than on a numeric scale — each finding below explains what your report may say.
This information is for general education only and is not medical advice. Reference ranges can vary by laboratory, age, sex, and individual factors. Always consult your physician or doctor to interpret your results.
What a higher result can point to
- Fatty liver disease linked to weight, insulin resistance or metabolic syndrome.
- Viral hepatitis, either a recent infection or a long-standing one.
- Alcohol intake, which characteristically lifts GGT and often AST.
- Medicines, herbal preparations and bodybuilding supplements that irritate liver cells or slow bile flow.
- Obstruction of the bile ducts by gallstones or a narrowing, which raises ALP, GGT and bilirubin together.
What a lower result can point to
- Chronic liver disease reducing the liver's ability to manufacture albumin.
- Protein loss through the kidneys or the gut, lowering albumin and total protein.
- Poor nutrition or prolonged malabsorption.
- Dilution of the blood by fluid overload, which lowers albumin without any loss of protein.
These are possibilities, not diagnoses. A single value outside the reference range is interpreted alongside your symptoms, history and other tests — your doctor decides what it means for you.
What this test cannot tell you
- The panel shows that the liver is disturbed but never says why; imaging and further testing are needed to name a cause.
- Results can look entirely ordinary in advanced, long-standing liver disease, because scarred tissue leaks fewer enzymes.
- Strenuous exercise, muscle injury and some blood disorders raise AST from sources outside the liver.
- A single panel is a snapshot; mild abnormalities often settle on repeat testing and are read in the light of the trend.
Risks of the blood draw
- Mild bruising or brief soreness where the needle went in.
- Occasional lightheadedness, which settles after a few minutes of rest.
- Bleeding or infection at the site, which is rare with sterile single-use equipment.
- 1This is a panel of several measurements, read as a pattern rather than line by line.
- 2ALT and AST reflect injury to liver cells; ALP and GGT point to bile flow.
- 3Albumin and bilirubin come closest to describing how well the liver is actually functioning.
- 4Mild abnormalities are common and frequently reversible, especially those linked to weight and alcohol.
- 5An abnormal panel is a reason to investigate further, never a diagnosis in itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about the Liver Function Test (LFT) test. Can't find what you're looking for?
Talk to our team→That combination is described as a hepatocellular pattern and points to irritation of the liver cells themselves, commonly from fatty liver, a viral infection, alcohol or a medicine. It steers the next steps towards viral testing, a medication review and an ultrasound rather than towards the bile ducts.
GGT is sensitive but not specific: it responds to alcohol, to several medicines and to fatty liver, and it can be mildly raised without any serious problem. Its main use is as a companion to ALP, since a raised ALP with an ordinary GGT usually means the ALP is coming from bone rather than liver.
Yes, and this is an important limitation. Enzymes leak from living, inflamed cells, so in advanced scarring there may be less tissue left to leak them. This is why symptoms, imaging and albumin trends are weighed alongside the enzyme figures.
Often, as a modest rise in ALT with or without GGT, but not always; fatty liver can be present with an ordinary panel. Ultrasound or a dedicated scan is the usual way to confirm it, and the panel is used to follow the response to weight, diet and activity changes over time.
LFT is a comprehensive panel that evaluates liver health by measuring enzymes (ALT, AST, ALP, GGT), bilirubin, albumin, and total protein. It helps diagnose and monitor liver diseases.
Routine screening for liver health, monitoring hepatotoxic medications, evaluating alcohol-related liver damage, and investigating symptoms like fatigue, jaundice, or abdominal pain.
No, fasting is not required for the Complete Liver Panel test, so you can eat and drink normally beforehand.
The Complete Liver Panel test uses a blood sample, collected quickly by our DHA-licensed phlebotomist with minimal discomfort.
Results for the Complete Liver Panel test are typically ready within 12 hours. You will receive a secure digital report, and your Smart Report highlights anything outside the normal range.
The Complete Liver Panel test is AED 210, which includes free home sample collection and a physician-reviewed report. You can also build a custom panel and pay only for the markers you choose.
Yes. A DHA-licensed phlebotomist can collect your sample at home or the office anywhere in Dubai at no extra cost, 7 days a week. See how it works.
It is commonly chosen by adults & teens. If you are not sure it is right for you, our care team is happy to advise.
Add the Complete Liver Panel test to your cart and complete the short booking wizard, choosing home collection or a lab visit. Guest checkout lets you book without creating an account.
Yes. It is processed at our EIAC-accredited laboratory (ISO 15189:2022) under DHA license 0046381 and verified by board-certified pathologists.
Every report includes reference ranges and plain-language notes. If you have questions, our care team can arrange a clinician review — just get in touch.
Absolutely. Add it to a curated health package or bundle it with any of our 160+ biomarkers, often from a single sample in one visit.