Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Aminotransferases
Introduction
Overview
Overview
- Aminotransferases act as catalysts in chemical reactions in the cells, where an amino group is transferred from a donor molecule to a recipient molecule
- An underlying disease pathology is present when aminotransferases appear in the blood stream
- Aminotransferases serve as diagnostic tools for liver, bile ducts, muscles, skeleton, and heart
- The tow most sensitive aminotransferases are:
Reference Range
| Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) | 0-23 U/l |
| Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST) | 0-19 U/l |
Differential Diagnosis
Differential Diagnosis
Increased Aminotransferases
- Acute hepatitis
- Alcoholic hepatopathy
- Cholangitis
- Cholestasis
- Chronic active hepatitis
- Cirrhosis
- Dermatomyositis
- Drugs
- Epstein-Barr Virus
- Fatty liver
- Hepatic tumor
- Hypothyroid myopathy
- Malignant hyperthermia
- Malignancy
- Myocardial Infarction
- Myositis
- Open heart surgery
- Perimyocarditis
- Polymyositis
- Primary biliary cirrhosis
- Progressive myodystrophia
- Pulmonary Embolism
- Renal infarction
- Seizure
- Severe muscle trauma
- Spasms, muscle injuries
- Strong physical work [1] [2]
References
References
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements
List of contributors:
Suggested Reading and Key General References
Suggested Reading and Key General References
Suggested Links and Web Resources
Suggested Links and Web Resources
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] The content on this page was first contributed by C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [2]