Home › Blood tests › Liver function
Liver function
testing in London
A blood test and a GP who will tell you what a raised result actually means, which is usually less alarming than the internet suggests.
A raised liver result is common, and usually not what you fear
Most people booking this have either had a result flagged somewhere (an insurance medical, a routine check, a health screen at work), or they are worried about how much they have been drinking and would rather know than wonder.
Mildly abnormal liver tests are very common and frequently turn out to be unimportant. They can be affected by alcohol, by weight, by medication including ordinary ones, by a recent infection, and by the fact that the reference ranges catch a slice of perfectly healthy people by design.
What matters is the pattern, the degree, and what else is going on, which is exactly what a number on a page cannot tell you and a doctor can.
What happens
The test, and reading it properly
Liver function tests are £49, in addition to the £89 consultation.
The appointment
At our Nine Elms clinic.
After the result
Context, not a number.
Why people test
Common reasons
A flagged result elsewhere
From an insurance medical, a work screen or a previous test. Bring it and we will put it in context.
Worried about drinking
A common and sensible reason. Nobody will lecture you, and knowing where you stand is more useful than guessing.
Long-term medication
Several common drugs affect liver tests, and periodic monitoring is sometimes recommended.
Fatty liver concerns
Increasingly common, strongly linked to weight, and often reversible when caught early.
Unexplained fatigue
One of many possible causes, and worth excluding alongside thyroid and iron.
Before or after travel
Where hepatitis exposure is a concern, testing may be worth combining with hepatitis screening.
If you have yellowing of the skin or eyes, severe abdominal pain, or vomiting blood, this is not a routine appointment. Seek urgent medical attention.
Questions
Things people ask us
My liver test came back abnormal. Should I be worried?
Usually not immediately. Mildly raised liver enzymes are common and have many causes, a good number of them benign or reversible. What matters is which enzymes, by how much, and what else is going on. That is the conversation this appointment is for, rather than a number you have been left to interpret alone.
Should I stop drinking before the test?
Do not change what you normally do just for the test. A result that reflects an unusual week tells you less than one reflecting how you actually live. Be straight with the GP about your intake. Nobody is scoring you, and an accurate answer makes the result meaningful.
Do I need to fast?
Not for liver function tests. If other tests are being done at the same appointment, such as a lipid profile, fasting may be preferred and we will tell you when you book. The test is £49, in addition to the £89 consultation.
What happens if something is found?
It depends on what. Often the answer is to repeat the test in a few weeks, because a single abnormal result frequently settles. Where a pattern suggests something needing investigation, we arrange imaging or referral and explain why.
Know what the number means
A blood test, and a GP who will put it in context.