Test Catalog

Test Id : ALT

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Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) (GPT), Serum

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Overview

Test Catalog

Useful For
Suggests clinical disorders or settings where the test may be helpful

Diagnosis and monitoring of liver disease associated with hepatic necrosis

Method Name
A short description of the method used to perform the test

Photometric Rate, L-Alanine with Pyridoxal-5-Phosphate

NY State Available
Indicates the status of NY State approval and if the test is orderable for NY State clients.

Yes

Reporting Name
Lists a shorter or abbreviated version of the Published Name for a test

Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT), S

Aliases
Lists additional common names for a test, as an aid in searching

ALT

GPT

SGPT

Transaminase, SGPT

Specimen Type
Describes the specimen type validated for testing

Serum

Necessary Information

Patient's age and sex are required.

Specimen Required
Defines the optimal specimen required to perform the test and the preferred volume to complete testing

Container/Tube:

Preferred: Serum gel

Acceptable: Red top

Specimen Volume: 0.5 mL

Collection Instructions:

1. Serum gel tubes should be centrifuged within 2 hours of collection.

2. Red-top tubes should be centrifuged and aliquoted within 2 hours of collection.

Specimen Minimum Volume
Defines the amount of sample necessary to provide a clinically relevant result as determined by the Testing Laboratory

0.25 mL

Reject Due To
Identifies specimen types and conditions that may cause the specimen to be rejected

Gross hemolysis Reject

Specimen Stability Information
Provides a description of the temperatures required to transport a specimen to the performing laboratory, alternate acceptable temperatures are also included

Specimen Type Temperature Time Special Container
Serum Refrigerated (preferred) 7 days
Frozen 7 days

Useful For
Suggests clinical disorders or settings where the test may be helpful

Diagnosis and monitoring of liver disease associated with hepatic necrosis

Clinical Information
Discusses physiology, pathophysiology, and general clinical aspects, as they relate to a laboratory test

Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is present primarily in liver cells. In viral hepatitis and other forms of liver disease associated with hepatic necrosis, serum ALT is elevated even before the clinical signs and symptoms of the disease appear. Although serum levels of both aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and ALT become elevated whenever disease processes affect liver cell integrity, ALT is a more liver-specific enzyme. Serum elevations of ALT are rarely observed in conditions other than parenchymal liver disease. Moreover, the elevation of ALT activity persists longer than does AST activity.

Reference Values
Describes reference intervals and additional information for interpretation of test results. May include intervals based on age and sex when appropriate. Intervals are Mayo-derived, unless otherwise designated. If an interpretive report is provided, the reference value field will state this.

Males

> or =1 year: 7-55 U/L

Reference values have not been established for patients who are <12 months of age.

Females

> or =1 year: 7-45 U/L

Reference values have not been established for patients who are <12 months of age.

Interpretation
Provides information to assist in interpretation of the test results

Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) values are seen in parenchymal liver diseases characterized by a destruction of hepatocytes. Values are typically at least 10 times above the normal range. Levels may reach values as high as 100 times the upper reference limit, although 20- to 50-fold elevations are most frequently encountered. In infectious hepatitis and other inflammatory conditions affecting the liver, ALT is characteristically as high as or higher than aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and the ALT:AST ratio, which normally and in other condition is less than 1, becomes greater than unity. ALT levels are usually elevated before clinical signs and symptoms of disease appear.

Cautions
Discusses conditions that may cause diagnostic confusion, including improper specimen collection and handling, inappropriate test selection, and interfering substances

Pyridoxal phosphate is a cofactor in the reaction and must be present for optimal enzyme activity.

Clinical Reference
Recommendations for in-depth reading of a clinical nature

Tietz Textbook of Clinical Chemistry. Edited by CA Burtis, ER Ashwood. Philadelphia, WB Saunders Company, 1994

Method Description
Describes how the test is performed and provides a method-specific reference

Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity is determined by a kinetic method using a coupled enzyme reaction where the rate of NADH consumption is measured at 340 nm. The NADH decrease is directly proportional to the ALT activity.(Package insert: Roche ALT reagent, Indianapolis, IN, January 2000)

PDF Report
Indicates whether the report includes an additional document with charts, images or other enriched information

No

Day(s) Performed
Outlines the days the test is performed. This field reflects the day that the sample must be in the testing laboratory to begin the testing process and includes any specimen preparation and processing time before the test is performed. Some tests are listed as continuously performed, which means that assays are performed multiple times during the day.

Monday through Sunday

Report Available
The interval of time (receipt of sample at Mayo Clinic Laboratories to results available) taking into account standard setup days and weekends. The first day is the time that it typically takes for a result to be available. The last day is the time it might take, accounting for any necessary repeated testing.

Same day/1 to 2 days

Specimen Retention Time
Outlines the length of time after testing that a specimen is kept in the laboratory before it is discarded

1 week

Performing Laboratory Location
Indicates the location of the laboratory that performs the test

Rochester

Fees
Several factors determine the fee charged to perform a test. Contact your U.S. or International Regional Manager for information about establishing a fee schedule or to learn more about resources to optimize test selection.

  • Authorized users can sign in to Test Prices for detailed fee information.
  • Clients without access to Test Prices can contact Customer Service 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
  • Prospective clients should contact their account representative. For assistance, contact Customer Service.

Test Classification
Provides information regarding the medical device classification for laboratory test kits and reagents. Tests may be classified as cleared or approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and used per manufacturer instructions, or as products that do not undergo full FDA review and approval, and are then labeled as an Analyte Specific Reagent (ASR) product.

This test has been cleared, approved, or is exempt by the US Food and Drug Administration and is used per manufacturer's instructions. Performance characteristics were verified by Mayo Clinic in a manner consistent with CLIA requirements.

CPT Code Information
Provides guidance in determining the appropriate Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code(s) information for each test or profile. The listed CPT codes reflect Mayo Clinic Laboratories interpretation of CPT coding requirements. It is the responsibility of each laboratory to determine correct CPT codes to use for billing.

CPT codes are provided by the performing laboratory.

84460

LOINC® Information
Provides guidance in determining the Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC) values for the order and results codes of this test. LOINC values are provided by the performing laboratory.

Test Id Test Order Name Order LOINC Value
ALT Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT), S 1743-4
Result Id Test Result Name Result LOINC Value
Applies only to results expressed in units of measure originally reported by the performing laboratory. These values do not apply to results that are converted to other units of measure.
ALT Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT), S 1743-4

Test Setup Resources

Setup Files
Test setup information contains test file definition details to support order and result interfacing between Mayo Clinic Laboratories and your Laboratory Information System.

Excel | PHP Pdf | CMS Pdf

Sample Reports
Normal and Abnormal sample reports are provided as references for report appearance.

Normal Reports | Abnormal Reports

SI Sample Reports
International System (SI) of Unit reports are provided for a limited number of tests. These reports are intended for international account use and are only available through MayoLINK accounts that have been defined to receive them.

SI Normal Reports | SI Abnormal Reports