What causes a high Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST)?

Q: What causes a high Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST)?

Common causes of a high Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST): Liver injury; Myocardial or skeletal muscle injury; Hemolysis; Alcoholic hepatitis (AST > ALT).

Normal range 10-40 U/L (0.17-0.67 µkat/L SI). Specimen: Serum. See the full Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST) reference page for critical values and nursing considerations.

Above the range

Common causes of a high Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST)

Liver injury
Myocardial or skeletal muscle injury
Hemolysis
Alcoholic hepatitis (AST > ALT)

Looking for the other direction? See what causes a low Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST).

What is the normal range for Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST)?

The standard teaching reference range for Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST) is 10-40 U/L in conventional units, or 0.17-0.67 µkat/L in SI units. This value is measured in serum.

Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST) reference range and specimen details
Specimen	Serum
Conventional range	10-40 U/L
SI range	0.17-0.67 µkat/L
Panel	Liver Function (LFTs)

Full details, including nursing considerations, on the Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST) 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

Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT)7-56 U/L Albumin, Serum3.5-5 g/dL Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP)44-147 U/L Ammonia15-45 µg/dL Bilirubin, Direct (Conjugated)0-0.3 mg/dL Bilirubin, Total0.3-1.2 mg/dL