Liver Blood Enzymes

• Introduction
• What are the aminotransferases?
• Normally, where are the aminotransferases?
• What are normal levels of AST and ALT?
• What do elevated AST and ALT mean?
• What liver diseases cause abnormal aminotransferase levels?
• What medications cause abnormal aminotransferase levels?
• What are less common causes of abnormal aminotransferase levels?
• How are healthy people evaluated for mild to moderate rises in aminotransferase levels?
• How about monitoring aminotransferase levels?
• What about other liver enzymes?

Dietary Supplements Can Cause Liver Damage Medical Author: Tse-Ling Fong, MD Medical Editor: Dennis Lee, MD Dietary supplements, which are also referred to as health supplements, include herbal products, vitamins, minerals, and any product that is not being marketed as a food or drug (medication). People take dietary supplements with the idea of maintaining or improving their health. However, my colleagues and I reported in a medical journal a series of seven patients who were referred to us with severe liver injury. They developed the liver damage after taking a health supplement called Lipokinetix® to lose weight. This supplement is a mixture of chemicals that includes an extract from a particular tea. It is said to reduce weight by working to mimic exercise and increase metabolism. How and why can dietary supplements damage the liver? Within three months of starting Lipokinetix®, these seven patients developed symptoms of acute hepatitis, including tiredness, loss of appetite, and abdominal pain. They sought medical attention and their blood tests revealed severe liver damage. One of the patients actually developed acute (rapid) liver failure and almost required a liver transplant to save her life. After being in a coma for three days, she miraculously recovered and was able to leave the hospital. Indeed, in all seven patients, the symptoms disappeared and the liver tests returned to normal within several months after discontinuing Lipokinetix®. That said, I have since been informed of another individual who took this same supplement, developed acute liver failure, and did require a liver transplant. She is doing well now. However, so that her body can continue to accept the new (foreign) liver, she will be taking powerful anti-rejection medications for the rest of her life. Read More » Top Searched Liver Blood Test Terms: liver function blood test, liver cancer blood test, liver cancer, liver damage from medication, fatty liver, liver alt, ast liver function, liver disease, normal liver enzyme levels, elevated liver blood test, abnormal liver blood test

Introduction

An initial step in detecting liver damage is a simple blood test to determine the presence of certain liver enzymes in the blood. Under normal circumstances, these enzymes reside within the cells of the liver. But when the liver is injured, these enzymes are spilled into the blood stream.

Among the most sensitive and widely used of these liver enzymes are the aminotransferases. They include aspartate aminotransferase (AST or SGOT) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT or SGPT). These enzymes are normally contained within liver cells. If the liver is injured, the liver cells spill the enzymes into blood, raising the enzyme levels in the blood and signaling the liver damage.

What are the aminotransferases?

The aminotransferases catalyze chemical reactions in the cells in which an amino group is transferred from a donor molecule to a recipient molecule. Hence, the names "aminotransferases".

Medical terms can sometimes be confusing, as is the case with these enzymes. Another name for aminotransferase is transaminase. The enzyme aspartate aminotransferase (AST) is also known as serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT); and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is also known as serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT). To put matters briefly, AST = SGOT and ALT = SGPT.

Normally, where are the aminotransferases?

AST (SGOT) is normally found in a diversity of tissues including liver, heart, muscle, kidney, and brain. It is released into serum when any one of these tissues is damaged. For example, its level in serum rises with heart attacks and with muscle disorders. It is therefore not a highly specific indicator of liver injury.

ALT (SGPT) is, by contrast, normally found largely in the liver. This is not to say that it is exclusively located in liver but that is where it is most concentrated. It is released into the bloodstream as the result of liver injury. It therefore serves as a fairly specific indicator of liver status.

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