ALT examination – norms, indications, mileage. Elevated ALT level

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The ALT test allows you to assess the condition of the liver and diagnose some diseases. It’s a good idea to do this basic test from time to time to make sure your liver is functioning perfectly. How to prepare for the ALT test? What are the ALT standards?

ALT test – characteristics

Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is an enzyme found mainly in the cells of the liver and kidneys. Much smaller amounts are also found in the heart and muscles. Normally, blood levels of ALT are low, but when the liver is damaged, ALT is released into the blood and levels increase accordingly. ALT is useful for the early detection of liver disease.

The function of ALT is to convert alanine, an amino acid found in proteins, into pyruvate – an important intermediate in the production of cellular energy. In healthy people, blood levels of ALT are low. When the liver is damaged, ALT is released into the bloodstream, usually before the more obvious symptoms of liver damage, such as jaundice, develop.

The liver is an important organ located in the upper right part of the abdomen, just below the rib cage. It takes part in many important functions of the body. The liver helps to process the body’s nutrients, produces bilewhich helps digest fat, produces many important proteins such as blood clotting factors and albumin, and breaks down potentially toxic substances into harmless ones that the body can use or eliminate.

A number of pathological conditions in the body can damage liver cells by causing ALT to rise. The ALT test is most useful in detecting damage caused by hepatitis or from the use of drugs or other substances that are toxic to our liver.

The ALT test is combined with an aspartate aminotransferase (AST) test, another liver enzyme, as part of the liver tests. Both ALT and AST levels tend to rise when the liver is damaged, although ALT is more liver specific and in some cases may be the only of the two that increase. The AST / ALT ratio can be calculated to help distinguish between the different causes and severity of liver damage and to distinguish between liver damage and heart damage.

ALT test – when to do it?

The ALT test is performed as part of preventive examinations or when disturbing symptoms appear that may indicate liver disorders. In addition, the ALT test is performed when the following occurs:

1. yellowing of the skin
2. yellowing of the mucous membranes,
3. lack of appetite, weakness and fatigue,
4. stomach pain on the right side
5. nausea, flatulence,
6. dark urine
7. discolored stool
8. itchy skin.

In addition to the above symptoms, especially for women, the indication for ALT is a menstrual disorder and complete amenorrhea. In turn, for men, the indication should be the loss of hair in the armpits and around the womb, impotence, gynecomastia and decreased libido.

The ALT test is part of the test packages available on Medonet Market, for example: Preventive screening package – blood tests.

A certain group of people should regularly perform the ALT test:

1. people with suspected viral hepatitis,
2. patients taking regular medications (especially birth control pills, statins, anticancer drugs),
3. overweight people,
4. obese people,
5. alcohol abusers,
6. diabetes.

Read: How to take care of the liver? Learn the simple ways that will make her work easier

ALT examination – how to prepare?

ALT examination does not require special preparation. Only, it is recommended that you arrive for your examination on an empty stomach. It is advisable to drink some water before the test. A blood sample for ALT is taken from a vein in the arm.

The time of day at which the ALT is performed is important. The best time is the morning, then the test result will be the most reliable and reliable. It is also important that the patient is not exposed to a lot of physical effort before the examination – then the result may also be too high.

See Liver Diagnostics. Laboratory tests

ALT test – standards

A normal ALT result is considered to be a result which should not exceed 35–40 IU / L. However, it should be remembered that the ALT result depends on certain factors, such as the patient’s age.

ALT standards for men:

1. 1-30 days <25 U / l,
2. 1 -12 mies. <35 U/l,
3. 1-3 lata <30 U/l,
4. 3-6 lat <20 U/l,
5. 6-9 lat <25 U/l,
6. 9-18 lat < 30 U/l,
7. 18 lat <41 U/l.

ALT standards for women:

1. 1-30 days <25 U / l,
2. 1-12 mies. <30 U/l,
3. 1-3 lata <30 U/l,
4. 3-6 lat <25 U/l,
5. 6-9 lat <25 U/l,
6. 9-18 lat <20 U/l,
7. >18 lat <33 U/l.

In children, elevated ALT levels are a physiological phenomenon just after birth. Moreover, the reference values ​​may depend on the laboratory in which the test is performed. Typically, in diagnosis, the ALT test is performed in conjunction with a second liver enzyme AST test, and the interpretation of liver status is based on their relative proportions.

ALT test – elevated ALT

Very high levels of ALT (more than 10 times) are usually caused by acute hepatitis, possibly from viral hepatitis infection. In acute hepatitis, ALT levels usually remain high for about 1-2 months, but it can take as long as 3-6 months to return to normal.

ALT levels can also be significantly elevated (sometimes over 100 times) from exposure to drugs or other substances that are toxic to the liver, or in conditions that cause reduced blood flow to the liver.

ALT levels are usually slightly elevated in chronic hepatitis. When this is the case, ALT levels often range from normal levels to slightly elevated levels. Other causes of a moderate increase in ALT include biliary obstruction, cirrhosis, heart damage, alcohol abuse, and liver tumors.

In some types of liver disease, ALT is higher than AST and the AST / ALT ratio will be low (less than 1). There are a few exceptions: the AST / ALT ratio is usually greater than 1 in alcoholic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and heart or muscle injury, and may be greater than 1 for a day or two after the onset of acute hepatitis.

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