Kidney and Liver

Kidney filtration and liver function in one finger-prick sample, taken at home. No appointment and no blood draw fee.

What’s included

• Kidney Function (3) — Urea, Creatinine, eGFR
• Liver Profile (7) — Total protein, Albumin, Globulin, Total bilirubin, ALP, ALT, GGT

10 markers in total.

Bought separately, these 2 profiles cost £90.

At home only, and why

This is the only test we sell that has no venous option. Every marker on it is clinical chemistry, which is the kind that survives a finger-prick sample well, so there is no reason to send you to a phlebotomist for it. If you want a blood draw, buy the Kidney Function and Liver Profile separately and you get AST as well.

Why there is no AST

AST is accredited for venous blood only, so we do not report it on a finger-prick sample. It is also one of the markers most distorted by haemolysis, which is what happens when you squeeze the finger instead of letting the blood drip. A squeezed sample pushes AST up and produces a frightening number that means nothing. We would rather report 7 liver markers you can trust than 8 where one is noise. The venous Liver Profile carries all 8.

Timing

Ideally fasted. Creatinine rises after a meal and urea falls. ALP rises and bilirubin falls. ALT and GGT do not move at all.

Ideal, not required. Glucose is the only marker we sell that is invalid unfasted. If fasting does not fit your day, take it anyway and do the same next time.

Before your sample

• Warm your hands under running water for a couple of minutes first. Cold hands are the most common reason there is not enough blood.
• Let the blood drip. Squeezing or milking the finger is what ruptures the red cells.
• Wash and dry your hands thoroughly, and use no hand cream afterwards.
• Stay well hydrated.
• Collect Monday to Thursday and post the same day, before the last collection.

What this does not tell you

Two things, and both are worth knowing before you buy rather than after.

• Kidneys. Staging kidney disease needs a urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio as well as a blood result. That is half the picture and no blood test can see it. Ask your GP for one if you have reason to.
• Liver. These enzymes say nothing reliable about scarring. FIB-4 is a free score built from your age, AST, ALT and platelet count, and an ELF blood test or a FibroScan is what actually looks for fibrosis.

Both are set out in Kidneys and Liver, in the Body Guide.

Finger prick

You collect it yourself at home, in about 10 minutes. Your kit contains everything you need. Finger-prick samples fail more often than venous ones; what that means.

Before you order

• How it works — the process end to end.
• Choosing a test — what to check before buying any blood test, here or anywhere.
• Biomarker Guide — every marker we run, in plain English.
• Body Guide — what each organ and system actually does.

Turnaround: the lab reports this test within 24 hours of receiving your sample, counted in working days. Most samples reach them within about 3 days of posting. Full detail on our Turnaround Times page.

We do not interpret results. Not medical advice or a diagnosis.