When it comes to alanine aminotransferase, many people don’t know what it is or what alanine aminotransferase actually does. So today we will take a look at what alanine aminotransferase is, what is the clinical significance of alanine aminotransferase, and what are the effects of changes in the value on the human body. Alanine aminotransferase is an enzyme involved in the metabolism of human proteins (equivalent to a catalyst in industrial production), which accelerates the conversion of proteins and amino acids in the body, and is widely present in various tissues and organs of the body. Organs. Muscle. It is widely found in various tissues, organs, muscles and bones, and is most abundant in the cytoplasm of liver cells. The normal reference value of ALT in serum is 9 – 51 U/L for men and 8 – 41 U/L for women. When various tissues and organs in the human body are active or diseased, ALT will be released into the bloodstream, increasing the serum ALT level. For example, when the liver is inflamed, transaminase will be released from the liver cells into the blood. When the liver is diseased, the serum transaminase must increase, and when there is inflammation in one thousand liver cells, the serum transaminase content will be more than doubled, therefore, the serum transaminase quantity is an important indicator of the degree of liver disease. I. Clinical significance The clinical significance of elevated ALT lies in the diagnosis and analysis of a series of viral hepatitis such as acute hepatitis B, chronic hepatitis, HBV carriers, heavy hepatitis as well as cirrhosis and liver cancer, etc. Elevated ALT only indicates that the liver may be damaged. In addition to hepatitis, many other diseases can cause elevation of glutathione aminotransferase. In acute hepatitis and chronic hepatitis with cirrhotic activity, the permeability of the liver cell membrane is altered and glutathione spills out of the cells into the circulating blood, so that the blood test results are high and the transaminases reflect the degree of liver cell damage. There are many reasons for the change of hepatocyte membrane permeability, such as fatigue, alcohol consumption, cold and even emotional factors. An increase in aminotransferase from the above causes is usually not higher than 60 units, but a value higher than 80 units is diagnostic and requires a hospital visit. In addition, it should be noted that there is a lack of consistency between the changes in GLTA activity and the pathological tissue changes in the liver, and some patients with severe liver damage do not have elevated GLTA. Therefore, liver function impairment needs to be determined by combining other conditions. Second, the significance of the test Glutamate aminotransferase is mainly present in the plasma of liver cells, and the intracellular concentration is 1000-3000 times higher than that in serum. As little as 1% of hepatocytes are destroyed, it can double the serum enzyme. Therefore, glutamate aminotransferase is recommended by the World Health Organization as the most sensitive test for liver impairment. If the serum value of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) exceeds the upper limit of normal by 2-3 times and persists for more than two weeks, it indicates the possibility of the existence of hepatobiliary disease, provided that the damage to the liver caused by alcoholism, chemical poisoning, etc.; exposure to chemical substances such as carbon tetrachloride, certain heavy metals, arsenic, etc. can cause toxic hepatitis) and physiological states, such as overexertion, strenuous activity (lactic acid is produced in large quantities in the body, and The temporary increase of transaminases may occur during physiological conditions such as overexertion, strenuous activity (lactic acid is produced and accumulated in the body, causing relative hypoxia and hypoglycemia, resulting in increased hepatocyte membrane permeability, causing an increase in transaminases) and menstruation. Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) should be determined based on relevant tests, medical history, symptoms and signs. When a patient with hepatitis B has an elevated glutamate aminotransferase level that is more than twice the upper limit of normal, antiviral therapy should be administered. The higher the transaminase level, the more active the immune function in the patient’s body, and the better the effect of antiviral treatment. This is the best time for antiviral treatment of hepatitis B. The normal value of alanine aminotransferase, which is mainly found in liver cells, is between 0 and 40 units. When it is significantly increased or decreased, it often indicates liver damage. This liver injury is only the “result”, it cannot indicate the cause of the liver injury, let alone arbitrarily assume that it is hepatitis, but we must further investigate the cause, such as the presence of hepatitis virus, alcoholism, obesity, fatty liver, heart disease, chemical poisoning, parasitic history, etc. For a healthy person, an increase or decrease in alanine aminotransferase level within the normal range does not mean that there is something wrong with the liver, because the transferase itself is very sensitive, and the level may fluctuate in a healthy person when examined at different times of the day. If it is low or high for a long period of time, it is time to go to the hospital for a checkup to determine if you have hepatitis infection.