What is ALT?
ALT (alanine aminotransferase) is an enzyme found mostly in liver and kidney cells. An ALT test measures the amount of this enzyme in the bloodstream. ALT is a useful test for the early detection of liver damage.
Why test ALT?
Testing alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is important for several reasons. It helps you discover risk factors for lifestyle diseases in time to take action. Knowing your ALT levels can reveal how your liver health is affected by alcohol consumption, weight, virus exposure, or other lifestyle factors. Additionally, monitoring ALT levels allows you to track changes in your blood values as you make lifestyle changes, take supplements, or undergo treatments.
What causes low ALT?
A low level of ALT in the bloodstream is normal. Vitamin B6 deficiency and alcoholism can cause extremely low ALT.
Symptoms of low ALT
Low ALT is normal and does not usually cause symptoms. Very low ALT can cause weakness, fatigue, poor appetite, unexplained weight loss, and nausea.
What causes high ALT?
Liver problems are the most common cause of elevated ALT. Very high ALT is usually caused by acute hepatitis, which in turn is often caused by a viral infection or heavy alcohol use, toxins, some medications, or autoimmunity. This usually takes 1-6 months to return to normal. fatty liver, liver dysfunction, excessive muscle breakdown or turnover, liver cell damage, obesity, alcohol consumption, and some other conditions can also cause very high ALT levels.
Symptoms of high ALT
High alanine aminotransferase (ALT) can indicate liver damage or disease. It may cause symptoms such as yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice), persistent fatigue, abdominal pain (especially in the upper right side), nausea and vomiting, dark urine, loss of appetite, and generalized itching. If you notice these symptoms, it's important to consult a doctor for further evaluation and treatment.
More information
When the cells are injured or damaged, enzymes like ALT are released into the blood, making ALT a useful test for the early detection of liver damage. This test may be used with AST (aspartate aminotransferase) as included in a liver package or a comprehensive metabolic panel to assess liver function and possible liver diseases. Elevated ALT levels are increasingly common.
Values that are slightly outside the reference range can be normal. As with other tests, approximately 5% of healthy individuals may have results outside the reference range.
Preparations for the blood test
Avoid fatty foods and alcohol the day before the test.
On the day of the test
Take your I.D. with you when you take a test.