Test for Aspartate Aminotransferase

A test for aspartate aminotransferase (AST) is designed to be used with a test for alanine aminotransferase (ALT) to assess damage to the liver due to drugs or certain diseases.

AST and ALT are quantitative measurements used by clinicians to assess the potential for liver damage resulting from therapy with certain drugs and for the diagnosis and treatment of certain liver diseases, such as hepatitis and cirrhosis, as well as heart disease. Doctors recommend that liver enzyme testing occur in all patients considering statin treatments, and repeat testing should be performed within three months of initiating therapy and periodically thereafter.

Both the AST and ALT tests were developed by Cholestech Corp. (Hayward, CA, USA) and are designed to be run on the company's Cholestech LDX system, using a single drop of blood and delivering results in less than five minutes. Both tests have been waived under CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

"Both the AST and ALT tests are the only such tests to be waived under CLIA by the FDA which measure the effect of statins on the liver,” remarked Warren E. Pinckert II, president and CEO of Cholestech. "The CLIA-waived AST test further broadens the utility of Cholestech's LDX System, providing users with enhanced diagnostic tools and information for immediate risk assessment and therapeutic monitoring of heart disease and diabetes.”




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