Ast/Sgot

AST or SGOT is one of the primary screening blood tests for any liver disease. The liver, the largest gland of the human body, is located on the right side of your abdomen. The liver helps in maintaining the body’s metabolism by plenty of functions. The yield and production of bile from the liver are essential to carry out and excrete the waste product from the body. The liver clears the toxic substances, drugs or other poisonous substances and resists the development of infection. The two most common enzymes to take the upper hand in liver functioning are AST and ALT. Aspartate aminotransferase or AST is also known as serum glutamic-oxalo acetic transaminase (SGOT) and ALT or Alanine aminotransferase is also known as serum glutamate-pyruvate transaminase (SGPT). AST test results and other liver function tests can help doctors screen, diagnose and monitor liver diseases effectively. In accordance, the SGOT (AST) test, a liver function test, measures the AST or SGOT enzyme in the blood. Under normal conditions, low levels of AST are seen in the liver (majorly), muscular tissues, red blood cells, pancreas, kidney and heart. Whenever there is damage to these organs, specifically the liver, the amount of AST or SGOT enzymes markedly increases as they leak into the bloodstream and show up on the SGOT (AST) test reports. AST test is often conducted with due consideration of ALT levels too. Their ratio (AST:ALT) can help assess liver damage at a precise scale. India faces the challenges and burden of liver disorders with an increasingly westernised lifestyle. A sedentary lifestyle, accumulation of fat or chronic alcoholism are the causative agents behind the increase in liver diseases in India. The four stages of liver failure take the course of inflammation, scarring or fibrosis, cirrhosis and end-stage liver disease. Consumptions of certain medications, biological agents like viruses and genetics are also linked with liver disorders. There is no cure for liver cirrhosis. SGOT (AST) test is used in the diagnosis of liver failure at an early stage. It not only prevents end-stage liver failure but also increases the chance of getting treatment with proven results.