ALT Test

Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver.  There are two major forms: acute and chronic.  Acute hepatitis is a fast developing disease and typically makes affected persons feel sick, as if they have the flu, often with loss of appetite and sometimes diarrhoea and vomiting.  In many cases, acute hepatitis turns urine brown, makes stools pale, and colours the skin and eyes yellow.  Most affected individuals eventually recover completely. Chronic (long-term) hepatitis usually causes no symptoms, or causes only loss of energy and tiredness; most people don’t know that they have it. In some people, chronic hepatitis can gradually damage the liver and, after many years, cause it to fail.

Other commonly used liver tests include more enzymes found in liver cells, such as aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and bilirubin (a breakdown product from red blood cells removed from the body by the liver and spleen). The doctor will often order these tests together as a group and refer to them as 'liver function tests'.