Liver Function Test (LFT)

A Liver Function Test, commonly abbreviated LFT, is a panel of blood tests that together assess how well your liver is working and whether there's any ongoing damage or inflammation.

The panel typically includes liver enzymes like ALT (SGPT) and AST (SGOT), which leak into the blood when liver cells are damaged; bilirubin, a pigment that builds up when the liver isn't processing it properly; and proteins like albumin, which reflect the liver's overall synthetic function.

Because the liver performs hundreds of vital functions — from filtering toxins and metabolizing medications to producing essential proteins and bile — even mild dysfunction can show up as measurable changes in this panel long before symptoms become obvious.

LFTs are used both to screen for liver disease in people with risk factors like alcohol use or viral hepatitis, and to monitor existing liver conditions or the effects of certain medications known to affect the liver.