What does the enzyme ratio say?
ALT is found mainly in the liver, AST is also found in the heart, muscles, kidneys, and inside the liver cell it is located mainly in mitochondria. Therefore, the ratio of enzymes is more informative than each one individually. A value less than 1 is typical for viral hepatitis and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, when predominantly the cell membrane is damaged. A value above 2 is typical for alcoholic liver damage: ethanol damages mitochondria, and AST is released into the blood disproportionately. An increase in the coefficient above 1 in a patient with chronic hepatitis is an indirect sign of transition to cirrhosis. A significant predominance of AST with normal ALT forces us to look for an extrahepatic cause: myocardial infarction, muscle damage, hemolysis.
How to prepare to donate blood
- on an empty stomach 8–12 hours, you can drink water
- Eliminate alcohol and intense exercise per day
- no smoking in an hour
- donate blood before physiotherapy, x-rays and massage
- Take medications in advance by agreeing with your doctor
How to read the result
Reference values depend on the method and equipment of the laboratory, so it is correct to compare results only within the same laboratory. A deviation of a few percent from the normal limit in itself rarely matters - the overall picture and dynamics are important.
The analysis must be interpreted by a doctor: an isolated indicator without a clinical context is often misleading and leads to unnecessary examinations.