ALT and AST Liver Enzymes: What High Levels Mean

These blood tests check for possible liver injury

Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) are two of the liver enzymes healthcare providers look at when trying to figure out if you have a problem with your liver. Blood tests that find high ALT levels or high AST levels may be a sign of a liver problem. 

When compared to each other, ALT and AST levels can help identify toxins in the liver, liver disease, or liver damage.

This article will discuss ALT and AST liver enzymes and what they do inside your body. It will also cover what happens during testing and what test results can reveal.

When is a liver function test recommended?

Verywell / Elise Degarmo

When ALT/AST Testing Is Recommended

ALT and AST levels are measured as part of a comprehensive testing panel known as the liver function test (LFT). An LFT may be ordered:

  • If you have symptoms of liver disease, including jaundice, dark urine, nausea, vomiting, and fatigue
  • To monitor the progression of a liver disease
  • To determine when certain drug treatments should be started
  • To check your response to a liver treatment

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.

Roles of AST and ALT

Aminotransferases are chemicals the liver uses to make glycogen. Glycogen is the stored form of glucose, the sugar that the body uses for energy.

Any glucose not immediately used will be changed into glycogen. It is then stored in cells for future use. Most will be stored in the liver. The leftover amount will be warehoused in the:

  • Skeletal muscles
  • Glial cells of the brain
  • Other organs

Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) is found in a variety of tissues, including the liver, brain, pancreas, heart, kidneys, lungs, and skeletal muscles. If any of these tissues are damaged, AST will be released into the bloodstream. While high AST levels mean there may be tissue injury, it doesn't always relate to the liver.

By contrast, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is found mainly in the liver. High ALT levels are always worrying, but they don't necessarily point to something serious. If your ALT level is high, it may indicate minor or severe liver injury.

Occasional increases in ALT may occur when you have a short-term infection or illness. Sustained increases are more serious as this may mean there's an underlying disease and a greater chance of liver damage.

What Happens During AST/ALT Testing

ALT/AST levels are usually measured as part of a liver function test. This is a simple blood test, which may be done at a lab or hospital or in your healthcare provider's office.

Preparing for the Test

This test usually requires a period of fasting prior to the blood draw. This means you will be asked not to eat anything up to 12 hours before you arrive. Ask your healthcare provider if you need to stop taking any of your medications prior to the test. 

During the Test

You will be asked to roll up your sleeve and expose the bend in your elbow. Your healthcare provider will clean the area and place a tight band around your arm above your elbow. You will be asked to make a fist to help make the vein easier to find.

You may feel a pinch when the needle is inserted. Your healthcare provider will place gauze over the site after the sample has been taken. 

After the Test

It's possible you may feel lightheaded immediately after the test. If so, wait until you feel better before attempting to drive home. 

You may have slight bruising where your blood was drawn. The area may feel sore for a day or two.

Normal AST and ALT Levels

AST and ALT are measured in international units per liter (U/L). The normal levels vary based on a person's body mass index (BMI). It also depends on the lab's reference value, or typical results. 

Generally speaking, normal levels in adults are as follows:

  • ALT: 4 to 36 U/L
  • AST: 8 to 33 U/L

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.

What Do High Results Mean?

High AST or ALT levels can indicate a problem with your liver. However, it does not usually mean you have a medical condition that needs treatment.

There is also a wide gap between the upper limit of normal and dangerously high results. 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.

Very elevated AST or ALT levels can indicate:

  • Cirrhosis
  • Heart problems
  • Hepatitis
  • Infection
  • Liver cancer
  • Liver disease
  • Mononucleosis
  • Pancreatitis 
  • Side effects of medication

AST/ALT Ratio

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:

  • Kidneys
  • Brain
  • Eyes
  • Skin
  • Joints

These are referred to as extra-hepatic symptoms.

The relationship between these enzymes is described using the AST/ALT ratio. This is a calculation that compares the levels of AST and ALT in your blood. Depending on which value is elevated and the amount of elevation, healthcare providers can often get a pretty strong indication as to what disease is involved.

What the AST/ALT Ratio Reveals

The AST/ALT ratio is important because its pattern can tell a lot about the condition involved. Here are the general guidelines used to diagnose liver disease:

  • An AST/ALT ratio of less than one (where the ALT is significantly higher than the AST) means you may have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
  • An AST/ALT ratio equal to one (where the ALT is equal to the AST) may be a sign of acute viral hepatitis or drug-related liver toxicity.
  • An AST/ALT ratio higher than one (where the AST is higher than ALT) means you may have cirrhosis.
  • An AST/ALT ratio higher than 2:1 (where the AST is more than twice as high as the ALT) is a sign of alcoholic 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.

Other Factors Affecting AST/ALT

High or low results on liver functioning tests do not always indicate a health problem. Factors that may temporarily affect your levels of AST or ALT include:

  • Age
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Body mass index
  • Exercise 
  • Gender
  • Medications that are toxic to the liver
  • Pregnancy
  • Whether or not you fasted before the test

When to See a Healthcare Provider

If you experience any of the following symptoms of liver damage, call your healthcare provider:

  • Abdominal pain
  • Dark-colored urine
  • Diarrhea
  • Fatigue
  • Jaundice or an abnormal yellow tone to your skin and eyes 
  • Light-colored stool
  • Nausea and vomiting

Follow-Up Testing

If your AST or ALT levels are abnormal, your healthcare provider may repeat the tests to confirm the results. Additional tests may include:

  • Additional liver function blood tests
  • Imaging tests, such as ultrasound, CT-scan, or an MRI
  • Liver biopsy

Summary

ALT and AST liver enzymes are produced by the liver. 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. ALT is found mainly in the liver.

If your AST levels are too high, it might be a sign of an injury affecting tissues other than the liver. High ALT levels may mean you have a liver injury. It could also be a sign that you have an infection or short-term illness.

The ratio of the two enzymes can help diagnose specific liver diseases.

10 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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Additional Reading

By Charles Daniel
 Charles Daniel, MPH, CHES is an infectious disease epidemiologist, specializing in hepatitis.