AST/ALT Ratio

[Mack89]

I've just joined as I've been worrying myself sick with online data regarding AST/ALT ratio. My liver function test results came back within range but when I use the ratio calculator it says I have liver cerrhosis or chronic hepatitis.

Thanks for any help.

[Redgreenblue]

doctors etc would not normally just use bloods to diagnoses liver disease and what staging you are at, its a combination of bloods, imaging, or alternatively a biopsy which is the gold standard for know the extent of liver disease.

your ALT and AST levels are fine, im no doctor but as far as I am aware and understand from speaking to doctors is that when the levels go above 40 it means there is an indication of inflammation happening.

for example my ALT/AST levels are both above 80 U/L and i have had fibroscans which indicated cirrhosis, but had a biopsy which revealed that it was stage 1 NASH (MASH)

basically im just trying to say please dont panic or worry about it and if you have concerns your doctors should be able to raise anything to a specialist if there is a need to 🙂

[Recentlydiagnosed- in reply to Redgreenblue]

Yeah I think you are correct, mines came back at 81, lead to ultrasounds and a ct scan to diagnose me with cirrhosis

[Redgreenblue in reply to Recentlydiagnosed-]

when were you diagnosed? its very interesting cause it also just depends on the individual body i suppose?

i have had AST levels over 100 but they came back down once i have my cholecystectomy procedure (gallbladder removal) on average around 70 my spleen is enlarged and i always get discomfort in my right side. i was surprised my biopsy result was not worse. My mother-in-law has cirrhosis and she has no symptoms

[Recentlydiagnosed- in reply to Redgreenblue]

I was hospitalised in November last year, then got my initial diagnosis in January, I have since had a ct scan that came back relatively positive, I am waiting on an appointment now to have a camera down my throat, it’s all just a learning thing for me still

[Mack89 in reply to Redgreenblue]

Tha k you for your reply. Appreciate it.

[Ruggerhead in reply to Mack89]

Mack a lot of people get confused and this should clear it up, the ratios are not applicable when your in range. They are only used when you’re out of range. So if your AST and Alt are within normal limits then the ratios are not of any significance. Ie you could have an Alt of 19, AST of 20 both great individual readings yet the ratio would scare you. It’s only when they are above normal and even then they would look at other biomarkers

[BritishLiverTrust8 Moderator British Liver Trust]

Dear Mack89

We have edited your post as it goes against our Community Guidelines.

Please read the pinned posts at the top right of the first page on the forum to see the rules and guidelines about making posts on this forum. This is about posting health information, more specifically:

“In this respect the British Liver Trust asks that users do NOT post any test results or ask for specific comment on such. Test results vary according to both the individual’s whole health and the laboratory analysing the results and should, therefore, always be interpreted by the user’s own doctors/health care professionals.”

If you would find it useful to talk things over, our nurse-led helpline is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 3pm on 0800 652 7330 (excluding bank holidays)

Best wishes

British Liver Trust

[MarkC66]

Hi Mack

Please stop Googling AST/ALT ratio - it will drive you nuts... it did me ...

If your numbers are in range, it's highly unlikely that there would be anything seriously wrong and there would be other markers like low Albumen/low platelets/high bilirubin to indicate this..

My consultant didn't even talk about ratios.. and when I asked he literally dismissed it.. my AST has been higher than my ALT for well over a year now..

My Kpa in 2023 was 6.9 and just last month was 5.5..

I have too much fat in my liver but I have no fibrosis/structral damage..

Best regards

Mark

[Mack89 in reply to MarkC66]

Cheers Mark. Your spit on. Thank you. All other LFT markers where within the range. 👍🏻

[Catalandali]

please stop googling, it’s full of rubbish and can really scare people unnecessarily. Stick with the opinions of qualified medical professionals. Your mental health will thank you for it!

[Sophia1968]

hi Mack, I did exactly the same thing as you, my ast was higher than my alt and the ratio calculator said cirrohsis …..im still not diagnosed either way so I’m not much help really but what I will say is many people told me on here ( when I was panicking about the ratio) that the ratio does not work or count when both figures are in the nomal range, so if both your numbers were normal just ignore the calculation because it is a false calculation , hope this helps because it did help me xx

[Mack89 in reply to Sophia1968]

Thank you Sofia. Really appreciate the reply back and putting me at ease. Lol. Thank you. X

[Sophia1968 in reply to Mack89]

You are welcome my lovely xx

[ceward204]

AST/ALT ration calculators on line are not great tools to use. It could take a while to explain it all. But when your levels are in normal ranges. You don't use a ratio calculator. AST/ALT alone are not a great predictor, as they are non specific markers.

[CParker22]

I recently had the same thing happen. AST 32/ALT 15. I read everything I could find and was convinced I had liver damage. My Dr was not concerned but ordered an ultrasound to make sure and give me peace of mind. I was a nervous wreck but everything came back normal and no cirrhosis or fibrosis. I wouldn’t worry if your numbers are in normal range.

[Mack89 in reply to CParker22]

Glad to hear everything came back fine. It's amazing as the ratio says you would have serious issues which obviously is not the case. Thanks for the information.

[Mack89 in reply to CParker22]

Did you have any symptoms or pain?

[Whai]

After reading all the replies to Mack89 i am at ease now, i was worry over the AST/ALT Ratio. Thank you all for your effort.