Frequently asked questions about ALANINE TRANSAMINASE (SGPT)

Name: ALANINE TRANSAMINASE (SGPT)
Brand: Thyrocare
SKU: TSTSFRMTHY0000023
Price: 200 INR
Availability: OnlineOnly

Question 1

What is ALANINE TRANSAMINASE (SGPT) test?

Accepted Answer

This test is known as ALANINE TRANSAMINASE (SGPT) which is offered by Thyrocare

Question 2

Is fasting required for ALANINE TRANSAMINASE (SGPT) test?

Accepted Answer

ALANINE TRANSAMINASE (SGPT) test  requires fasting

Question 3

For how many days in advance can ALANINE TRANSAMINASE (SGPT) test be booked?

Accepted Answer

You can book ALANINE TRANSAMINASE (SGPT) test upto 7 days in advance

Question 4

Why Get Tested?

Accepted Answer

To screen for liver damage and/or to help diagnose liver disease

Question 5

When to Get Tested?

Accepted Answer

When a health practitioner thinks that you have symptoms of a liver disorder

Question 6

Sample Required?

Accepted Answer

A blood sample drawn from a vein in your arm

Question 7

Test Preparation Needed?

Accepted Answer

None

Question 8

What is being tested?

Accepted Answer

Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is an enzyme found mostly in the cells of the liver and kidney. Much smaller amounts of it are also found in the heart and muscles. In healthy individuals, ALT levels in the blood are low. When the liver is damaged, ALT is released into the bloodstream, usually before more obvious signs of liver damage occur, such as jaundice. This makes ALT a useful test for detecting liver damage.  The liver is a vital organ located in the upper right-hand side of the abdominal area. It is involved in many important functions in the body. The liver helps to process the body's nutrients, manufactures bile to help digest fats, produces many important proteins such as blood clotting factors, and breaks down potentially toxic substances into harmless ones that the body can use or excrete.  A number of conditions can cause damage to liver cells, resulting in an increase in ALT. The test is most useful in detecting damage due to hepatitis or as a result of drugs or other substances that are toxic to the liver.  ALT is commonly tested in conjunction with aspartate aminotransferase (AST), another liver enzyme, as part of a liver panel. Both ALT and AST levels usually rise whenever the liver is being damaged, although ALT is more specific for the liver and, in some cases, may be the only one of the two to be increased. An AST/ALT ratio may be calculated to aid in distinguishing between causes and severity of liver injury and to help distinguish liver injury from damage to heart or muscles.

Question 9

How is the sample collected for testing?

Accepted Answer

A blood sample is drawn from a vein in the arm.

Question 10

Is any test preparation needed to ensure the quality of the sample?

Accepted Answer

No test preparation is needed.

Question 11

How is it used?

Accepted Answer

The alanine aminotransferase (ALT) test is typically used to detect liver injury. It is often ordered in conjunction with aspartate aminotransferase (AST) or as part of a liver panel to screen for and/or help diagnose liver disease.  AST and ALT are considered to be two of the most important tests to detect liver injury, although ALT is more specific to the liver than is AST. Sometimes AST is compared directly to ALT and an AST/ALT ratio is calculated. This ratio may be used to distinguish between different causes of liver damage and to help recognize heart or muscle injury.  ALT values are often compared to the results of other tests such as alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total protein, and bilirubin to help determine which form of liver disease is present.  ALT is often used to monitor the treatment of persons who have liver disease, to see if the treatment is working, and may be ordered either by itself or along with other tests for this purpose.

Question 12

When is it ordered?

Accepted Answer

A health practitioner usually orders an ALT test (and several others) to evaluate a person who has signs and symptoms of a liver disorder. Some of these may include:    Weakness, fatigue  Loss of appetite  Nausea, vomiting  Abdominal swelling and/or pain  Jaundice  Dark urine, light-colored stool  Itching (pruritus)   ALT may also be ordered, either by itself or with other tests, for people who are at an increased risk for liver disease since many people with mild liver damage will have no signs or symptoms. Some examples include:    Persons who have a history of known or possible exposure to hepatitis viruses  Those who are heavy drinkers  Individuals whose families have a history of liver disease  Persons who take drugs that might damage the liver  Persons who are overweight and/or have diabetes   In persons with mild symptoms, such as fatigue or loss of energy, ALT may be tested to make sure they do not have chronic liver disease.  When ALT is used to monitor the treatment of persons who have liver disease, it may be ordered on a regular basis during the course of treatment to determine whether the therapy is effective.

Question 13

What does the test result mean?

Accepted Answer

Normally, levels of ALT in the blood are low.  Very high levels of ALT (more than 10 times normal) are usually due to acute hepatitis, sometimes due to a viral infection. In acute hepatitis, ALT levels usually stay high for about 1-2 months but can take as long as 3-6 months to return to normal. Levels of ALT may also be markedly elevated (sometimes over 100 times normal) as a result of exposure to drugs or other substances that are toxic to the liver as well as in conditions that cause decreased blood flow (ischemia) to the liver.  ALT levels are usually not as high in chronic hepatitis, often less than 4 times normal. In this case, ALT levels often vary between normal and slightly increased, so the test may be ordered frequently to see if there is a pattern. Other causes of moderate increases in ALT include obstruction of bile ducts, cirrhosis (usually the result of chronic hepatitis or bile duct obstruction), heart damage, alcohol abuse, and with tumors in the liver.  In most types of liver diseases, the ALT level 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 with heart or muscle injury and may be greater than 1 for a day or two after onset of acute hepatitis.  ALT is often performed together with a test for AST or as part of a liver panel. For more about ALT results in relation to other liver tests, see the Liver Panel article.

Question 14

Is there anything else I should know?

Accepted Answer

A shot or injection of medicine into the muscle tissue, or strenuous exercise, may increase ALT levels.  Many drugs may raise ALT levels by causing liver damage in a very small percentage of patients taking the drug. This is true of both prescription drugs and some "natural" health products. Be sure to tell your health practitioner about all of the drugs and/or health supplements you are taking.

Question 15

1. What conditions other than liver problems can cause increased ALT?

Accepted Answer

ALT is more specific for the liver than AST and so is much less affected by conditions affecting other parts of the body. Nevertheless, injury to organs other than the liver, such as the heart and skeletal muscle, can cause elevations of ALT. For example, small increases may be seen with heart attacks.

Question 16

2. What other tests may be performed to help determine the cause of liver damage?

Accepted Answer

After a thorough physical exam and evaluation of a person's medical history, there are several other tests that may be performed as follow up depending on what is suspected to be the cause of liver damage. Some of these include:    Tests for hepatitis A, B, and C  Testing for exposure to drugs and other substances toxic to the liver (see Drugs of Abuse Testing and Emergency of Overdose Drug Testing)  Ethanol level  Copper and ceruloplasmin for Wilson disease  Iron tests and genetic tests for hereditary hemochromatosis   A liver biopsy may be performed to help determine the cause of liver injury and to evaluate the extent of liver damage.

Alanine Transaminase Sgpt

Overview

What is ALANINE TRANSAMINASE (SGPT) test?

Is fasting required for ALANINE TRANSAMINASE (SGPT) test?

For how many days in advance can ALANINE TRANSAMINASE (SGPT) test be booked?

Common Questions

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