Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) Testing
How to check your Alanine Aminotransferase levels with a home finger-prick blood test kit
What Is An Alanine Aminotransferase Test For?
An Alanine Aminotransferase test is also known as a Serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (SGPT) test.
Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) is an enzyme mainly found in your liver. ALT is used by your body to break down food into energy, with levels in the blood normally low.
Following liver damage, the levels of ALT in your blood will rise making it a useful means to indicate liver problems.
Fluctuation of ALT levels is normal over the course of the day, and can also increase in response to strenuous physical exercise.
Learn all about Alanine Aminotransferase Testing:
- Alanine Aminotransferase Testing UK Statistics 2021
- What If Alanine Aminotransferase Test Levels Are High?
- What If Alanine Aminotransferase Test Levels Are Low?
- How To Test Alanine Aminotransferase?
- Why Take The Liver Function Test?
- Who Should Take The Liver Function Blood Test?
- How Much Do Liver Function Tests Cost?
Alanine Aminotransferase Testing UK Statistics 2021
21.5% of people tested have Alanine Aminotransferase levels which are too high.
And 0.9% have levels that are too low.
The average Alanine Aminotransferase result is 39.3 IU/L
Note what is normal for you may differ for your age and gender.
Men tend to report higher Alanine Aminotransferase in their blood than women.
As many as one in four men tested have high levels of Alanine Aminotransferase
77.6%
of people have Alanine Aminotransferase blood levels in the normal range. Do you?
Are you in the 77.6% with normal results?
What If Alanine Aminotransferase Test Levels Are High?
This does not automatically mean that medical problems exist.
ALT levels can be high when the liver is dealing with infection or even hard to digest foods. Strenuous exercise may increase ALT concentration as can certain drugs, like paracetamol or alcohol.
A moderately high ALT can also occur if you have fatty liver disease. The risk of this is increased by high alcohol intake, diabetes and increased serum triglycerides.
Persistently high levels of ALT are associated with numerous metabolic disorders and should be investigated further.
Very high concentrations of ALT greater than four times the highest normal level are usually due to chronic or acute hepatitis and you should seek medical advice immediately.
What If Alanine Aminotransferase Test Levels Are Low?
While most low ALT level results indicate a normal healthy liver, very low results could indicate a low or non functioning liver.
In the absence of other abnormal liver function tests a low result is unlikely to represent a problem. But if you are concerned or have other symptoms please review with a medical professional.
You may also wish to consider other lifestyle factors e.g.
- A deficiency in Vitamin B6 may decrease ALT levels.
- Smoking can lower ALT in healthy people without liver disease.
- Hormone replacement therapy or taking birth control pills can lower ALT levels
How To Test Alanine Aminotransferase?
The Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) Test allows you to accurately check your levels of Alanine Aminotransferase in a fingerprick blood sample.
You can check your Alanine Aminotransferase levels by buying a home finger-prick blood test kit below. Your sample is then professionally analysed in an accredited laboratory for total reassurance. The Vitall Liver Function Home Test Kit includes a Alanine Aminotransferase test and is available for just £49.
Please see the following test kits:
