There are numerous tests available to medical providers to help determine the status of a patient’s liver health. One of the most common tests ordered is the SGOT AST blood test. This particular test measures the levels of aspartate aminotransferase that happen to be in a person’s blood. Based on the levels that are seen, a doctor can then compare SGOT AST results to other test results and physical symptoms to determine what is wrong with the liver.
The SGOT AST blood test is also quite effective at determining if the liver has experienced some sort of trauma in the recent past. Because common lifestyle habits or even some prescription medications can affect these results, however, medical providers often need to compare the SGOT AST results to other ordered tests to determine what may be wrong.
Medical providers may also order the SGOT AST blood test in order to monitor the effectiveness of a treatment plan that has been developed to correct liver issues. It is common for people to have this test routinely ordered if they are taking medication that has a side effect of causing liver damage.
When Will the SGOT AST Blood Test Be Ordered?
After the initial interview, a doctor will determine if a patient has a family history of liver disease in their family. This may also include the presence of liver cancer in immediate family members. During the physical examination, a medical provider will also ask about specific physical symptoms which are known to link back to the liver.
Here are just a few of the symptoms that a doctor will ask about.
1. Unusual nausea that sets in and may include vomiting.
2. Abdominal pain that is sharp and intermittent or constant, dull, and achy.
3. Swelling within the abdomen that is not related to gas or bloating concerns.
4. The loss of a desire to eat that appears with a feeling of weakness and ongoing fatigue, even when a good night’s sleep is obtained.
The SGOT AST blood test may be immediately ordered if a patient presents with a yellowing of the skin or the whites of the eyes. This is an indication that jaundice has set in and that an immediate treatment may be necessary. People may also experience the presence of dark, chocolate milk-looking urine despite high fluid intake and the lack of a kidney infection.
What Do the SGOT AST Blood Test Results Mean?
Most people who would have the SGOT AST blood test on any given day would have a very low level of this substance in their blood. Medical providers will look at the increased levels of SGOT AST in the blood to determine what might be wrong so that specific testing can follow-up suspicions or results can be compared to a complete liver panel.
The most concerning result of the SGOT AST blood test is one that is slightly elevated. When levels are just above normal values and are consistently this way, then the presence of a chronic liver disease will be suspected. Additional testing is usually ordered to determine if cancer is associated with the liver disease.
Many people receive extremely abnormal results, sometimes hundreds of times above normal, and fear the worst. These abnormally high results come mostly because of the side effects of prescription medication. Some illicit drugs that are chronically used may also cause this result, as will prolonged and severe alcohol abuse. Medical providers will change prescriptions and recommend immediate lifestyle changes.
Results that are 3-4x higher than normal are generally an indication that a chronic hepatitis infection has activated once again. Certain physical conditions, such as a blocked bile duct or gallstones, may also produce a result in this range. People who exercise strenuously can produce this result as well even though their liver is physically healthy.
If the results are about 8-10x higher than normal, then a medical provider will suspect that an acute hepatitis infection has occurred. It may be the first viral infection of this virus. Certain viral infections can also replicate this test result. Many patients become concerned because their SGOT AST blood test results stay this way for 3-6 months, but that is actually normal under these conditions.
Most medical providers will not diagnose based off of the SGOT AST results.
It is most commonly ordered as part of a complete medical panel. Tell your doctor if you take insulin shots or other injections regularly as this can skew results. Then use this guide to help ask questions about personal medical needs so that the right course of treatment may be developed.