Nov 4, 2019 | Autoimmune, Chemical Pathology
The autoimmune liver diseases include the triad of Autoimmune Hepatitis (AIH), Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC) and Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC). These conditions represent perhaps only 5% of all liver diseases, although the true prevalence in South-Africa is...Oct 31, 2019 | Chemical Pathology
The porphyrias arise from enzyme defects in the haem biosynthetic pathway. Accumulation of the precursors (ALA and PBG) lead to acute neurovisceral attacks, marked by severe abdominal pain and autonomic neuropathy, which may progress to a potentially fatal motor...Mar 19, 2019 | Chemical Pathology, Gastrointestinal
Procalcitonin (PCT) is a 116 amino acid peptide precursor of calcitonin. In the absence of infection, it is produced at very low levels in a few highly selected tissues. However, at the onset of infection bacterial factors and host inflammatory cytokines induce the...Oct 15, 2018 | Chemical Pathology, Knowledge Hub
Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a serious complication of diabetes mellitus, and consists of the biochemical triad of ketosis, hyperglycaemia and acidaemia. DKA usually occurs as a result of an absolute or relative insulin deficiency and an increase in...Apr 19, 2018 | Chemical Pathology, Knowledge Hub
Serum Free Light Chains – An Essential Test in Myeloma. Multiple Myeloma (MM) is the 2nd most common haematological malignancy. Serum free light chain (s-FLC) testing now forms an integral part of the management of MM. The serum levels of free light chains...Apr 19, 2018 | Chemical Pathology, Knowledge Hub
The association between cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and plasma low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-c) level is indisputable. Accordingly, all screening and therapeutic guidelines are based on total cholesterol (TC) or LDL-c levels. Apolipoprotein B &...