Blood test for ast sgot what is it

The AST test is considered a safe procedure. However, as with many medical tests, some problems can occur with having blood drawn, such as:. Having a blood test is relatively painless. Still, many kids are afraid of needles. Explaining the test in terms your child can understand might help ease some of the fear.

Allow your child to ask the technician any questions he or she might have. Tell your child to try to relax and stay still during the procedure, as tensing muscles and moving can make it harder and more painful to draw blood. It also may help if your child looks away when the needle is being inserted into the skin.

Note: All information on KidsHealth is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor. All rights reserved. Find a Doctor. About Us. Community Programs. California Kids Care. International Services. Video Visits: Telemedicine. A small bruise or mild soreness around the blood test site is common and can last for a few days.

Get medical care for your child if the discomfort gets worse or lasts longer. If you have questions about the AST test, speak with your doctor or the health professional doing the blood draw.

Note: All information is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor. Search KidsHealth library. What's in this article? What Is a Blood Test? To do that, a health professional will: clean the skin put an elastic band tourniquet above the area to get the veins to swell with blood insert a needle into a vein usually in the arm inside of the elbow or on the back of the hand pull the blood sample into a vial or syringe take off the elastic band and remove the needle from the vein In babies, blood draws are sometimes done as a "heel stick collection.

Your doctor may order follow-up tests to rule out another diagnosis. The normal range of an SGOT test is generally between 8 and 45 units per liter of serum. In general, men may naturally have higher amounts of AST in the blood. A score above 50 for men and 45 for women is high and may indicate damage. There may be some variation in the normal ranges depending on the technique the lab used. The exact range of the lab will be listed in the report of the results. These conditions include:.

If your SGOT test is inconclusive, your doctor may order additional follow-up tests. All of these tests are blood tests and can be completed in a complete blood panel test CBP.

If other organs or muscles are thought to be the reason for your high AST levels, your doctor may order additional testing to diagnose the problem, such as an ultrasound of the liver. Liver function tests help screen for problems such as infections, scarring, and disorders.

They're also used if you start experiencing symptoms of a…. Most of the time your doctor orders a blood test for you, it will be a basic metabolic panel. But sometimes she will go a step further and order a…. Damage to the liver from excessive drinking can lead to ARLD. Years of alcohol abuse cause the liver to become inflamed and swollen. The aldolase test measures how much of the enzyme aldolase you have in your blood.

High levels can be a sign of muscle or liver damage. The exact AST level does not tell you how much liver damage there is, or whether the liver is getting better or worse, and small changes should be expected.

However, for patients receiving treatment for hepatitis C, it is helpful to see if the AST level goes down. Veterans Crisis Line: Press 1. Complete Directory. If you are in crisis or having thoughts of suicide, visit VeteransCrisisLine. Quick Links.