Final answer:
The serum transaminases levels, specifically ALT and AST, are the best indicators to assess liver function in acute hepatitis due to their rapid increase in response to liver injury. While other tests such as serum bilirubin, albumin levels, and INR provide additional information, serum transaminases are the most reliable for acute conditions. The correct option is D .
Step-by-step explanation:
The best way to assess liver function in acute hepatitis is by measuring serum transaminases, namely alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels. These enzymes are highly specific to the liver, and their levels rise dramatically in response to acute liver damage, making them critical markers in the assessment of hepatic injury. ALT is more liver-specific, whereas AST is also found in cardiac and skeletal muscles.
Serum bilirubin is also crucial as it can indicate the severity of liver dysfunction or biliary obstruction. While serum albumin levels and prothrombin time (INR) are valuable for assessing chronic liver function and liver synthetic ability, they are less helpful acutely because they reflect long-term liver function and have a longer half-life. Hence, serum transaminases are generally considered the best initial test to evaluate acute liver injury.
While liver function tests (LFTs) are comprehensive, they include a variety of markers, some of which do not change as rapidly in acute conditions (e.g., albumin levels). Acute liver failure can also provoke secondary conditions such as hepatic encephalopathy, and coagulopathy evidenced by an increased INR, but again, this may not always be the case in early or mild forms of acute hepatitis.