What does an ALT test involve? What causes ALT levels to rise? Fatty liver disease: perhaps the most common cause in the UK, Europe, the USA and other affluent countries is fat accumulation within liver cells.
Fat can accumulate anywhere in the body, but when this happens in the liver cells, it proves toxic. Anyone who is obese, has type 2 diabetes, or a raised cholesterol level may be at risk for having fat within the liver. Drinking too much alcohol: men who regularly drink more than the recommended 21 units of alcohol per week, women who drink in excess of 14 units per week, or people of both sexes who engage in regular binge drinking can risk damage to the liver cells. Infection by chronic hepatitis viruses such as viral infections transmitted through blood and bodily fluids such as hepatitis B and Hepatitis C Drug toxicity: even the common painkiller paracetamol can cause extensive liver damage when taken in quantities above the recommended dose.
Other drugs can also have a toxic effect on the liver and your treatment will include regular monitoring of liver function. Haemochromatosis: a genetic liver disease associated with an excess accumulation of iron in the liver.
Autoimmune hepatitis: this occurs when the body mounts an immune response to its own liver cells. How often should I have my serum ALT measured? Make an enquiry Treatment cost The London Clinic offers affordable, competitive self-pay packages for certain treatments.
Year Year Contact permission The London Clinic is fully committed to compliance with Data Protection and Department of Health medical confidentiality guidelines. Please confirm how you would like us to contact you:. Generally speaking, the normal reference value for adults is:. The high end of the reference range is referred to as the upper limit of normal ULN.
This number is used to establish how elevated your liver enzymes are. Mild elevations are generally considered to be two to three times the ULN. With some liver diseases, the level can be more than 50 times the ULN. Levels this high are described as deranged. While it may seem that a high ALT is all that is needed to diagnose liver disease, its relationship to AST can provide valuable clues as to what exactly is going on. It will also tell you whether the issue is acute occurring suddenly and progressing rapidly or chronic long-standing or persistent.
If the liver experiences an acute injury, you can expect to see a sudden spike in the ALT. On the other hand, if liver disease is slowly progressing, the damage in the liver will gradually affect other organs too. As these organs are damaged, the AST will begin to rise. This occurs with diseases like hepatitis C. It causes long-term liver damage that triggers symptoms involving:. These are referred to as extra-hepatic symptoms.
Depending on which value is elevated and the amount of elevation, doctors can often get a pretty strong indication as to what disease is involved.
Here are the general guidelines used to diagnose liver disease:. However, a disease cannot be diagnosed by the pattern of elevation alone. How elevated the levels are also needs to be measured. This is described in multiples of the ULN. It is only when the levels are above a certain threshold that the ratio can be considered diagnostic.
This measurement can point to liver diseases, but only if the enzyme levels are elevated several times above normal. An LFT may be ordered:. An LFT can also determine whether a drug prescription or over-the-counter or an herbal remedy is causing liver injury. If the lab test is processed on-site, the results can be returned within hours. Otherwise, your doctor will usually receive the results in anywhere from one to three days. Doctors can test these levels with a blood test.
If you have elevated liver enzymes, it could be a sign that you have liver disease. AST is found in the liver, brain, pancreas, heart, kidneys, lungs, and skeletal muscles.
People who smoke should stop smoking, and others can try to avoid secondhand smoke to reduce the toxic load on the liver. People can also take care to avoid high levels of chemical toxins in the air where possible and consider using an air purifier in the home to remove excess toxins.
People can see their doctor for a liver blood test, which will show levels of ALT in their body. A doctor will take blood from the arm and send the sample off for testing at a laboratory. However, some researchers have recommended lowering the accepted amount for normal. This is because more people are developing obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and by reducing the upper threshold for normal ALT levels, doctors may be able to detect potential liver health issues earlier.
Following this recommendation, ideal levels of ALT are:. Very high levels may indicate liver problems, such as hepatitis. Very low levels of ALT may also pose health risks and increase frailty. One study found that low ALT levels in people with coronary heart disease increased the risk of long term mortality.
People can discuss their ALT results with their doctor to find out if their ALT levels are healthful, or whether they need to take steps to alter them. High levels of the liver enzyme ALT can be a sign of liver damage. People can lower their ALT levels by making lifestyle changes, such as taking regular exercise and changing their diet. Increasing fiber intake, reducing saturated fats and processed foods, as well as consuming a range of nutrients from fruits and vegetables may all help to lower levels.
People can see their doctor for an ALT test if they notice any symptoms of liver damage to check whether their ALT levels are within the normal range. Drinking coffee can do much more than provide an energy boost. Some scientific studies have suggested that coffee can also reduce the risk of several…. People who eat or are considering vegetarian or vegan diets may be concerned about getting enough protein from their food.
In this article, we look at…. Natural ways to lower cholesterol include replacing trans fats and saturated…. Folic acid is the synthetic form of folate, an important B vitamin. Learn about its functions, recommended intake, and side effects here. The ALT test is usually used to determine whether someone has liver injury or failure. Liver damage generally causes an increase in ALT levels. An ALT test is often done with other liver enzyme tests.
Checking ALT levels along with levels of other liver enzymes can provide your doctor with more specific information about a liver problem. An ALT test may be part of a routine checkup or requested if someone has risk factors for liver disease, including:.
Some medications may affect the levels of ALT in your blood. Your doctor might tell you to avoid taking certain medications for a period of time before the test. An ALT is a simple blood test with few risks. Bruising can sometimes occur in the area where the needle was inserted. The risk of bruising can be minimized by applying pressure to the injection site for several minutes after the needle is removed.
This value can vary depending on the lab. This range can be affected by certain factors, including sex and age. Higher-than-normal levels of ALT can indicate liver damage.
Increased levels of ALT may be a result of:. Most lower ALT results indicate a healthy liver.
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