AST | Aspartic aminotransferase

Aspartic transaminase (AST) is present in a wide variety of tissues, including liver, heart muscle, skeletal muscle, brain, kidney, lung, pancreas, erythrocytes, and leukocytes, but the highest activity is found in liver and skeletal muscle. Increased activity of the AST enzyme is usually evaluated as an indicator of liver and heart pathology. During acute hepatitis, AST activity increases at the end of the incubation period (6-7 days before the appearance of jaundice). The maximum of enzymatic activity is reached when the patient is jaundiced. However, increases in AST activity are usually associated with liver pathology, although they can also be found during muscle tissue collapse, tumor necrosis, gangrene, shock, and hypoxia. In acute liver failure, AST and ALT increase, glucose concentration decreases. In cases of liver disease, AST and ALT indicators do not necessarily increase together and not necessarily to the same extent. Mild to moderate elevations in AST levels can also be observed after alcohol ingestion or the use of drugs containing penicillin, salicylates, or opiates.

Recommendations:

• It is recommended to be performed prophylactically once a year, as one of the main indicators of liver function, for disease diagnosis and treatment control, it is performed periodically according to the doctor's instructions.
• The results of the test are affected by the drugs, diet, and alcohol used.
• It is necessary to arrive before 12 o'clock fasting to take the test.