BI11.1-2 | Organ Function tests and Hormones — Glossary

A panel of biochemical markers assessing hepatic function including bilirubin, aminotransferases, ALP, GGT, albumin, and PT/INR

A cytoplasmic enzyme almost exclusively found in hepatocytes; the most specific serum marker of liver cell injury

An enzyme found in cytoplasm and mitochondria of liver, heart, skeletal muscle, and kidney; less specific than ALT for liver injury

An enzyme bound to the bile canalicular membrane that rises markedly in cholestatic liver disease and bone disorders

A canalicular enzyme sensitive to alcohol use; helps confirm hepatic origin of elevated ALP

Water-soluble bilirubin conjugated with glucuronic acid by hepatocytes; elevated in hepatocellular disease and biliary obstruction

Lipid-soluble bilirubin bound to albumin in blood; elevated in haemolysis, Gilbert syndrome, and Crigler-Najjar syndrome

LFT pattern with markedly elevated ALT/AST and mildly elevated ALP, seen in viral hepatitis and drug-induced liver injury

LFT pattern with markedly elevated ALP/GGT and mildly elevated ALT/AST, seen in biliary obstruction and intrahepatic cholestasis

A breakdown product of muscle phosphocreatine, freely filtered by glomeruli; rises when GFR falls below approximately 50%

The nitrogen content of urea in blood; rises in renal failure but also in dehydration, GI bleeding, and high-protein diet

Estimated glomerular filtration rate calculated from serum creatinine, age, and sex using the CKD-EPI equation

A ratio used to differentiate pre-renal (>20:1), renal (10-20:1), and post-renal causes of azotaemia

The presence of excess protein in urine indicating glomerular damage; normal is less than 150 mg/day

A clinical syndrome with massive proteinuria (>3.5 g/day), hypoalbuminaemia, oedema, and hyperlipidaemia due to glomerular basement membrane damage

A clinical syndrome with haematuria, RBC casts, hypertension, and oliguria due to glomerular inflammation

A pituitary hormone that stimulates the thyroid gland; the single most useful test for thyroid function — high in primary hypothyroidism, low in hyperthyroidism

The unbound, biologically active form of thyroxine; measured alongside TSH to confirm thyroid dysfunction

The hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis: TRH from hypothalamus stimulates TSH from pituitary, which stimulates T4/T3 from thyroid, with negative feedback

The commonest cause of hypothyroidism in India; an autoimmune condition with anti-TPO antibodies destroying the thyroid gland

An autoimmune cause of hyperthyroidism where TSH receptor-stimulating antibodies (TSI) drive excess thyroid hormone production

Autoantibodies against thyroid peroxidase, the key diagnostic marker for Hashimoto thyroiditis

A benign inherited condition with reduced UDP-glucuronosyltransferase activity causing mild unconjugated hyperbilirubinaemia, often triggered by fasting or stress

Urinary albumin excretion of 30-300 mg/day; the earliest marker of diabetic nephropathy, detectable before dipstick proteinuria