The Importance of SGPT Testing
SGPT is a popular blood test often prescribed by doctors to patients. It is also called the ALT blood test. This test checks if the liver is functioning properly, so it is also called Liver Function Test. SGPT/ALT enzyme is produced by the liver. Normally it should be found in liver cells, but when the liver is stressed or not functioning properly, the enzyme leaks into the blood cells. Traces of this enzyme are found across various organs in the body, but a higher level of SGPT in the blood would indicate that the liver is in distress.
A doctor would then try to find the cause of this distress to the liver and might order more tests to reach a diagnosis. Several gastrointestinal, liver diseases or diseases causing stones can be diagnosed with the help of this test. Since diseases with stones in various organs of the body have become a common ailment in recent years, this simple, non-invasive blood test has become a common and important one.
Finding SGPT
SGPT was first identified and characterized by Arthur Karmen and his colleagues F. Wroblewski and J.S. Ladue in January 1955. Their discovery was published in “The Journal of Clinical Investigation” under the title “Transaminase Activity in Human Blood”.
Diving Deep into SGPT
In biology, sgpt stands for Serum Glutamic Pyruvic Transaminase. To explain the full form of sgpt in simple words, we can say that it is an enzyme that is created by the liver. It is now commonly known as Alanine aminotransferase (ALT). Though produced by the liver, its traces can be found in kidney cells, heart, pancreas, red blood cells, spleen, and the skeletal muscles. In these said locations, various concentrations of the enzyme can be found from moderate to low levels. The highest concentration of the sgpt acronym is found in the liver cell.
When is SGPT released into the body?
The target of the SGPT is any organ containing or producing ALT. If any damage has occurred on any of these organs, SGPT will be released into the blood. As the highest concentration is found in the liver, if the liver falls prey to any damage, the level of Serum Glutamic Pyruvic Transaminase i.e., the full form of sgpt, will rise from the normal level in the blood.
When should the SGPT level be tested?
Doctors recommend an SGPT acronym test when any liver damage is suspected or diagnosed. You get the test done in the following circumstances:
Jaundice
Vomiting
Dark Urination
Nausea
Right upper abdomen pain
Knowing about the level of SGPT in the blood:
The Serum Glutamic Pyruvic Transaminase, as we know is the full form in English, resides in the liver and, when produced in excess, will be released into the bloodstream by the liver or if any damage is detected. Pathology suggests that the normal amount of Glutamic Pyruvic Transaminase, as you know, is the full form of sgpt in the blood should be around 7 to 56 units per liter of blood. Any unit indicating a higher level than the said level can be alarming and signify damage to the liver. It is noted that hepatitis and cirrhosis tend to increase the sgpt level in the blood.
What leads to a higher level of SGPT?
Apart from liver damage, there can be other factors that make the SGPT level in the blood go on the rise. A few of them can be listed as:
Hepatitis
Alcohol
Diabetes
Obesity
Muscle Injury
So here we can conclude the full form and meaning hoping for your good health and happy life. Seek medical advice if you feel the need and abode by the doctor’s orders to heal sooner than ever.
FAQs on SGPT Full Form
1. What Does High SGOT Mean?
AST is also called SGOT (serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase). A high AST level is a sign of liver damage, but it can also mean you have damage to another organ that makes it, like your heart or kidneys. That's why doctors often do the AST test together with tests of other liver enzymes.
2. What is the SGOT Normal Range?
The normal range of values for AST (SGOT) is about 5 to 40 units per litre of serum (the liquid part of the blood). The normal range of values for ALT (SGPT) is about 7 to 56 units per litre of serum.
3. Is SGPT Curable?
No treatment is required. But if SGPT is increased, a rare liver disease NASH may be diagnosed which is again an inherited disease with abnormal metabolism causing fatty liver where fatty foods would have to be permanently avoided. Blood tests for SGPT and bilirubin are enough to indicate liver damage.
4. What is normal SGPT?
A blood report that ranges between 7 to 56 units of SGPT per litre of blood is considered normal. Any number higher than that indicates problems in the liver.
5. What can cause high SGPT?
Higher than normal SGPT can be caused by some problem in the liver and also by the use of some drugs. Choline deficiency in the diet can also cause higher levels of ALT in the blood. There is a list of diseases that cause SGPT to leak in the blood, but only a doctor can make a final diagnosis as to what is the main problem.
6. Do children get an abnormal range of SGPT?
Paediatric liver problems are on the rise and so infants and children can also suffer from symptoms that would prompt a doctor to prescribe an SGPT test. It is a non-invasive procedure so there is a minimal health risk from this test to children.
7. What happens in an SGPT test?
During an SGPT test, the laboratory technician draws a little blood from a vein, often near the elbow. It takes less than five minutes when conducted professionally. Normally, the technician would tie a tourniquet on the upper arm to make the vein stand out. A tourniquet is like a rubber string that is tied around the arm tightly enough to make it a little uncomfortable. Then he would clean the area of injection with alcohol and insert a needle into the now bulging vein. It feels like a pinprick when the hand is left relaxed.
Sometimes it takes more than one tries to insert the needle properly into the vein. This is normal. The technician would draw blood into the syringe through the needle. Sometimes people (both adults and children) feel faint at the sight of blood or have a strong fear of needles, this is also nothing unusual. Then he would withdraw the needle from the skin and release the tourniquet. He would carefully store the blood in a properly labelled vial and dispatch it to the laboratory for testing. Tests results can be found between a day to two-three days. It is a good idea to explain the procedure to the patient before the test, especially to kids, to reduce the terror of the unknown. When a patient understands the procedure, it does not appear so scary and threatening.
8. Can good food bring down SGPT levels?
Diet restrictions are a major part of the prognosis of many liver problems. Improving Vitamin D levels in the body also affect SGPT levels positively, so diet modifications help moderate SGPT levels. Vitamin D can be absorbed in the body by exposing one’s skin to direct sunlight for 20 minutes per day and eating Vitamin D-rich food every day. Vitamin D balance in the body takes some time so an appropriate diet should be followed for some months before improvement can be observed. Food that helps the body maintain good vitamin D levels are fatty fish like salmon, mushrooms are grown in sunlight, fortified milk, cheddar cheese, and yoghurt (fortified means added vitamins and minerals for health benefits), and eggs.