We work through the evaluation of mild ALT elevation in asymptomatic adults in primary care by tackling these commonly asked questions:

1. What differential diagnoses should we consider with mildly elevated ALT?

2. How do we diagnose metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease?

3. How do we estimate risk of liver fibrosis using the FIB-4 score? What lab tests and diagnostic imaging should we consider?

We answer these common questions and more!

Read time: 6-7 minutes

We review diagnostic pearls for thalassemia, including use of the CBC, iron studies, peripheral blood smear, and hemoglobin electrophoresis

Read time: 6-7 minutes

We review the utility of ESR and CRP as inflammatory markers when evaluating patients for suspected inflammatory or infectious disease processes.

Read time: 6-7 minutes

We review the utility of serum TSH, free T4, free T3, and when to order thyroid antibody testing (hint - almost never!)

We review how lab reference ranges are established, the limitations of lab reference ranges, and tips for dealing with lab results that do not correlate clinically.