This test checks the level of ammonia in your blood. It helps find out why you may have changes in consciousness and also helps diagnose a liver disease called hepatic encephalopathy. This disease affects how your brain works, because of excess toxins, or poisons, in your body.
Your liver may not be working properly if you have high levels of ammonia in your blood. Ammonia is a chemical made by bacteria in your intestines and your body's cells while you process protein. Your body treats ammonia as a waste product, and gets rid of it through the liver. It can be added to other chemicals to form an amino acid called glutamine. It can also be used to form a chemical compound called urea.
Your bloodstream moves the urea to your kidneys, where it is eliminated in your urine. But ammonia will build up in your body if you can't get rid of urea. This can sometimes happen if you have kidney or liver failure. It can also happen if you have a urea cycle disorder, a genetic disorder that means your body is missing any of the enzymes that remove ammonia from the blood.
The ammonia blood test is the gold standard for diagnosing urea cycle disorders. Too much ammonia in your body can cause psychological problems like confusion, tiredness, and possibly coma or death. A child's reaction to too much ammonia can include seizures, breathing trouble, lower response, and potentially death.
Ammonia, also known as NH3, is a waste product made by your body during the digestion of protein. Normally, ammonia is processed in the liver, where it is changed into another waste product called urea.
Urea is passed through the body in urine. If your body can't process or eliminate ammonia, it builds up in the bloodstream. High ammonia levels in the blood can lead to serious health problems, including brain damage, coma , and even death. High ammonia levels in the blood are most often caused by liver disease. Other causes include kidney failure and genetic disorders. These include:. The test may also be used to monitor the effectiveness of treatment for liver disease or kidney failure. You may need this test if you have liver disease and are showing symptoms of a brain disorder.
Symptoms include:. Your newborn baby may need this test if he or she has any of the above symptoms. The same symptoms may be a sign of a urea cycle disorder. A health care professional will take a blood sample from a vein in your arm, using a small needle. After the needle is inserted, a small amount of blood will be collected into a test tube or vial.
You may feel a little sting when the needle goes in or out. This usually takes less than five minutes. To test a newborn , a health care provider will clean your baby's heel with alcohol and poke the heel with a small needle. The provider will collect a few drops of blood and put a bandage on the site.
There is very little risk to having a blood test. You or your child may have slight pain or bruising at the spot where the needle was put in, but most symptoms go away quickly.
If your results show high ammonia levels in the blood, it may be a sign of one of the following conditions:. In infants, high ammonia levels may be a sign of a genetic disease of the urea cycle or a condition called hemolytic disease of the newborn. The normal range is just a guide. Your doctor will also look at your results based on your age, health, and other factors.
A value that isn't in the normal range may still be normal for you. High levels of ammonia in the blood may be caused by:. High ammonia values in a baby may be present when the blood types of a mother and her baby do not match hemolytic disease of the newborn. Author: Healthwise Staff. Medical Review: E. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information.
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Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. Skip Navigation. Top of the page. Test Overview An ammonia test measures the amount of ammonia in the blood.
Why It Is Done An ammonia test is done to: Check how well the liver is working, especially when symptoms of confusion, excessive sleepiness, coma, or hand tremor are present. Check the success of treatment for severe liver disease, such as cirrhosis. Help identify a childhood disorder called Reye syndrome that can damage the liver and the brain.
Ammonia testing can also help predict the outcome prognosis of a diagnosed case of Reye syndrome.
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