Blood ammonia

Ammonia in the human body is produced by amino acid deamination during protein metabolism, and the kidneys break down glutamine and the action of bacteria in the intestine. Most of the ammonia in the liver synthesizes urea through the ornithine cycle. Part of it is used for the amination of ketoacid to synthesize glutamine, which forms ammonium salt in the kidney and is excreted from the urine. Blood ammonia plays an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of hepatic coma and hepatic encephalopathy. Urine ammonia measurement is one of the indicators to evaluate the acid-base balance disorder in the body. The measurement methods of blood ammonia include ion exchange resin method, direct method, electrode method and enzyme. The enzymatic method is widely used because of its simplicity and high specificity.