Serum Amino Acid Measurement is the determination of amino acid content in serum, which is mainly used for checking all kinds of liver and kidney diseases, and also has auxiliary diagnostic significance for certain nutritional diseases, endocrine system diseases, skin diseases, and so on.
1. When the liver is damaged, especially in patients with hepatic encephalopathy, the ratio of branched-chain amino acids to aromatic amino acids in the blood is reduced due to the impaired anabolism of the liver.
2. Patients with renal disease may have elevated free amino acids in serum due to impaired excretion of amino acids from the blood. The ratio of tryptophan to phenylalanine, and the ratio of valine to glycine are decreased in the serum of patients with uremia and chronic nephritis.
Because of the effect that food digestion and absorption can have on serum amino acids, serum amino acid measurements are most often performed in the early morning on an empty stomach.
Do not judge the disease only from the serum amino acid value, but rely on the physician to make a comprehensive judgment, and the patient should consult the doctor promptly when discomfort occurs.