For years, the American Red Cross used ALT testing as part of the battery of tests to ensure the safety of its blood supply by deferring donors with elevated ALT levels.
The FibroTest score is calculated from the results of a six-parameter blood test, combining six serum markers with the age and gender of the patient: Alpha-2-macroglobulin, Haptoglobin, Apolipoprotein A1, Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), Total bilirubin, and Alanine transaminase (ALT).
If the ALT level is elevated, this, plus pruritus of palms and soles, should be treated as diagnostic of ICP (however LFT's are not always elevated in ICP patients).
This drug is approved around the world for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C (including patients with HIV co-infection, cirrhosis, 'normal' levels of ALT) and has recently been approved (in the EU, U.S., China and many other countries) for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B.
Alanine transaminase | GABA transaminase | Aspartate transaminase |
The drug causes hepatocellular injury, generally shown by more frequent 3-fold or greater elevations above the upper limits of normal (ULN) of ALT or AST than the (nonhepatotoxic) control agent or placebo.