Ast Alt Ratio Calculator
- Ast Alt Ratio Calculator will help you with the diagnosis of various liver diseases.
- The Ast Alt ratio can assist in grading the severity of pathology in chronic liver disease including alcoholic liver disease and chronic hepatitis.
- Ast Alt Calculator will help to find the ratio of both parameters in your body to measure the actual ratio between these two.
Steps To Calculate Ast Alt Ratio
- Enter AST Value in U/liter
- Enter Alt Value in U/liter
- Check the Ast Alt Ratio Calculation
The AST ALT ratio is calculated by dividing the AST result by the ALT result.
Abbreviation
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Formula
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Ast/Alt ratio
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AST/ALT = AST Value / ALT Value
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AST and ALT
- Both AST and ALT are enzymes - proteins that accelerate chemical reactions.
- AST is non-specific to the liver; this means it can be found in other organs of the body, and its levels can be elevated for a number of different reasons, such as a heart attack, acute pancreatitis, or some infections, like mononucleosis.
- ALT is also a non-specific enzyme. It can be elevated in clinical situations, such as muscle damage, disease, or the use of certain drugs.
Normal Ast Alt Ratio
- A normal Ast Alt ratio should be <1.
- In patients with alcoholic liver disease, the Ast Alt ratio is >1 in 92% of patients, and >2 in 70%.
- Ast Alt scores >2 are, therefore, strongly suggestive of alcoholic liver disease, and scores <1 are more suggestive of NAFLD/NASH.
Ast Alt Ratio Chart
Here is Ast Alt Ratio Chart is given for Ast/Alt.
Condition
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Ast:Alt ratio
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NAFLD in at-risk patients without liver fibrosis or cirrhosis
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Less than 1
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Liver fibrosis
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1 or greater
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Alcohol abuse without cirrhosis
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1.1 or less
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Alcohol abuse with cirrhosis
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Greater than 1.1
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Biliary obstructions, intrahepatic
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Greater than 1.5
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Biliary obstructions, extrahepatic
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Less than 1.5
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Critical limb ischemia in peripheral artery disease
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Greater than 1.67
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Advancing cirrhosis
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Greater than 2
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Advanced alcoholic liver disease
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Greater than 3
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AST ALT Ratio
- While it may seem that a high ALT is all that is needed to diagnose liver disease, its relationship to AST can provide valuable clues as to what exactly is going on.
- It will also tell you whether the issue is acute (occurring suddenly and progressing rapidly) or chronic (long-standing or persistent).
- If the liver experiences an acute injury, you can expect to see a sudden spike in the ALT.
- On the other hand, if liver disease is slowly progressing, the damage in the liver will gradually affect other organs too.
- As these organs are damaged, the AST will begin to rise.
- This occurs with diseases like hepatitis C.
- It causes long-term liver damage that triggers symptoms involving:
- Kidneys
- Brain
- Eyes
- Skin
- Joints
- These are referred to as extra-hepatic symptoms.
- The relationship between these enzymes is described using the AST/ALT ratio.
- This is a calculation that compares the levels of AST and ALT in your blood.
- Depending on which value is elevated and the amount of elevation, doctors can often get a pretty strong indication as to what disease is involved.
Ast/Alt Ratio High
Here is a possible cause of the Ast/Alt Ratio High value.
Ast/Alt ratio greater than 1
- A ratio of AST ALT greater than 1 can be indicative of cirrhosis - a scar tissue transformation of the liver that eventually results in a loss of its function.
Ast/Alt ratio greater than 2
- AST ALT ratio > 2 strongly suggests alcoholic hepatitis - an inflammation caused by the consumption of too many units of alcohol for a regular period of time.

High AST ALT Ratio
- Can be caused by factors located outside of the liver, such as hemolysis (the breakdown of the red blood cells), and muscle or thyroid gland diseases.
Low AST ALT Ratio
- The interpretation of an elevated and normal AST ALT ratio is based on many factors.
- We need to evaluate the value of the ratio and the value of its singular components.
- Your physicians will also check for other signs or symptoms of liver disease and will run some additional tests to verify their diagnosis:
- APTT, PT, or INR - measure the ability of your blood to clot. The time needed for your blood to clot will be prolonged if liver disease is present.
- In the case of ascites: serum ascites and albumin gradient - this simple test allows doctors to differentiate between the reasons pathological fluid may accumulate in your abdomen.
- Levels of albumin and proteins in your blood (while taking into consideration your protein intake).
Importance of Ast Alt Ratio
The AST/ALT ratio is important because its pattern can tell a lot about the condition involved. Here are the general guidelines used to diagnose liver disease
- An AST/ALT ratio of less than one (where the ALT is significantly higher than the AST) means you may have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
- An AST/ALT ratio equal to one (where the ALT is equal to the AST) may be a sign of acute viral hepatitis or drug-related liver toxicity.
- An AST/ALT ratio higher than one (where the AST is higher than ALT) means you may have cirrhosis.
- An AST/ALT ratio higher than 2:1 (where the AST is more than twice as high as the ALT) is a sign of alcoholic liver disease.
AST ALT Ratio Need
- ALT and AST liver enzymes are produced by the liver.
- Doctors can test these levels with a blood test.
- If you have elevated liver enzymes, it could be a sign that you have liver disease.
- AST is found in the liver, brain, pancreas, heart, kidneys, lungs, and skeletal muscles.
- ALT is found mainly in the liver.
- The AST/ALT ratio is important because its pattern can tell a lot about the condition involved.
- On the other hand, if liver disease is slowly progressing, the damage in the liver will gradually affect other organs too.
- As these organs are damaged, the AST will begin to rise.
- If your AST levels are too high, it might be a sign of an injury affecting tissues other than the liver.
- High ALT levels may mean you have a liver injury. It could also be a sign that you have an infection or short-term illness.
- The ratio of the two enzymes can help diagnose specific liver diseases.
Summary
Overall, AST/ALT ratio used to diagnose liver disease and pattern can tell a lot about the condition involved. Check More Medical Health Related Calculator on Drlogy Calculator to get exact health solution.
Reference
- AST/ALT ratio - Wikipedia [1].
- AST (SGOT): Liver Function Test - Viral Hepatitis and Liver [2].