Friday, August 5, 2011

Question about S.G.O.T. and S.G.P.T blood tests?

SGOT (now commonly called AST) and SGPT (now commonly called ALT) are markers of liver cell damage (though they're also found in a number of other tissues), but by themselves cannot differentiate potential causes of said liver cell damage. Normal values are < 40 or 45, depending on which source you check. There has been a little disagreement since these levels can vary a bit between individuals and by sex. I can tell you from a pharmacy perspective we usually don't get too worked up over small elevations (we look closer at levels that are 2 or more times that upper limit of normal), and elevations in active disease processes can commonly cause considerably higher elevations. Your physician is the best resource to get explanations about the significance of your labs. Give him/her a call.

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