ALT

"Clinical Significance
Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) - Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) measurements are particularly useful in the diagnosis and management of certain liver diseases, e.g., viral hepatitis and cirrhosis. ALT activity in tissue is generally much lower than aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activity and is found in highest concentrations in the liver. Significant elevations of ALT occur only in diseases of the liver. ALT is often measured in conjunction with AST to determine whether the source of the AST is the liver or the heart. ALT is normally not elevated in cases of myocardial infarction, i.e., a normal ALT, in conjunction with an ...

Preferred Specimen(s)
1 mL serum

Alternative Specimen(s)
Sodium heparin (green-top) tube • Lithium heparin (green-top) tube

Minimum Volume
0.5 mL

Transport Container
Serum Separator Tube (SST®)

Specimen Stability
Serum and plasma
Room temperature: 72 hours
Refrigerated: 5 days
Frozen: Unacceptable

Reject Criteria
Anticoagulants other than heparin

Setup Schedule, Transport Temperature

Patient Preparation
The assay manufacturer, Beckman Coulter, warns that patients treated with sulfasalazine may generate false low results for ALT.

Methodology
Spectrophotometry (SP)

Reference Range(s)
     Male (U/L)    Female (U/L)
<1 Month    3-25    3-25
1-11 Months    4-35    3-30
1-3 Years    5-30    5-30
4-12 Years    8-30    8-24
13-15 Years    7-32    6-19
16-19 Years    8-46    5-32
≥20 Years    9-46    6-29

Alternative Name(s)
SGPT,ALT