What causes a high Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT)?

Q: What causes a high Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT)?

Common causes of a high Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT): Hepatocellular injury (hepatitis); Fatty liver disease; Drug or toxin injury; Ischemic liver injury.

Normal range 7-56 U/L (0.12-0.93 µkat/L SI). Specimen: Serum. See the full Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) reference page for critical values and nursing considerations.

Above the range

Common causes of a high Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT)

Hepatocellular injury (hepatitis)
Fatty liver disease
Drug or toxin injury
Ischemic liver injury

Looking for the other direction? See what causes a low Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT).

What is the normal range for Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT)?

The standard teaching reference range for Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) is 7-56 U/L in conventional units, or 0.12-0.93 µkat/L in SI units. This value is measured in serum.

Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) reference range and specimen details
Specimen	Serum
Conventional range	7-56 U/L
SI range	0.12-0.93 µkat/L
Panel	Liver Function (LFTs)

Full details, including nursing considerations, on the Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) normal range page. Reference ranges vary by laboratory, method, age, sex, and population - always use the range printed on the actual result.

Same panel

More Liver Function (LFTs) tests

Albumin, Serum3.5-5 g/dL Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP)44-147 U/L Ammonia15-45 µg/dL Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST)10-40 U/L Bilirubin, Direct (Conjugated)0-0.3 mg/dL Bilirubin, Total0.3-1.2 mg/dL