# Blood Test Questions **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 15, 2007, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-test-questions/400191 "2007-04-15T06:30:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1

**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2007, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-test-questions/400191/1 "2007-04-15T06:30:56Z")

_ **-\>Yes, I WILL be calling my doctor on Monday morning to discuss this with him, but I am curious as to what these results MIGHT mean.\<-** _ Okay, now that that’s out of the way, let me explain. Because of some medication that I’m on, I have to have a blood test every couple of months. I went to the doc on Tuesday for a routine blood test and consultation on my meds. Today, I get a copy of the test results in my mailbox, with a handwritten note on the bottom that says, “Recheck in 2-3 weeks.” Out of 18 tests, four of them are flagged as “High.” I’m only going to list the ones that are high, and I’m not completely clueless as to what some of them mean, but the last two, I have absolutely no idea what they are. ```auto Test Result Units Reference Interval Glucose, Serum 133 (High) mg/dL 65 - 99 Potassium, Serum 5.8 (High) mg/dL 3.5 - 5.5 AST (SGOT) 83 (High) IU/L 0 - 40 ALT (SGPT) 132 (High) IU/L 0 - 55 ``` The glucose and potassium are obvious as to what they are, I’ve no idea what the last two are. ---

**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2007, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-test-questions/400191/2 "2007-04-15T08:13:52Z")

AST and ALT are used to monitor how your liver is doing. Some drugs, like the statins used for high cholesterol, will cause a slight increase in their levels without it meaning anything serious (the doc might just want you to stop the medicine for a while). So, I would not worry much about it until you get a chance to ask the doc about it. ---

**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2007, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-test-questions/400191/3 "2007-04-15T08:22:44Z")

> **[Alanine transaminase](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alanine_transaminase)** > > Alanine transaminase (ALT) is a transaminase enzyme (EC 2.6.1.2). It is also called alanine aminotransferase (ALT or ALAT) and was formerly called serum glutamate-pyruvate transaminase or serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (SGPT) and was first characterized in the mid-1950s by Arthur Karmen and colleagues. ALT is found in plasma and in various body tissues but is most common in the liver. It catalyzes the two parts of the alanine cycle. Serum ALT level, serum AST (aspartate transaminase) lev Th... > **[Aspartate transaminase](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartate_transaminase)** > > Aspartate transaminase (AST) or aspartate aminotransferase, also known as AspAT/ASAT/AAT or (serum) glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT, SGOT), is a pyridoxal phosphate (PLP)-dependent transaminase enzyme (EC 2.6.1.1) that was first described by Arthur Karmen and colleagues in 1954. AST catalyzes the reversible transfer of an α-amino group between aspartate and glutamate and, as such, is an important enzyme in amino acid metabolism. AST is found in the liver, heart, skeletal muscle, k The half... ---

**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2007, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-test-questions/400191/4 "2007-04-15T09:09:36Z")

The glucose test can be high if you ate a meal shortly before the test. The potassium can be high if the blood was difficult to draw. Most of the potassium in our bodies is inside the cells. When cells are ruptured, they spill K+ into the blood. So, if the person drawing the blood used excessive suction, or had to dig around for the vein, it can show as a false rise in K+. Potassium can be high if the kidneys are damaged too, but you would have other high findings as well. The SGOT & SGPT have been explained by others. ---

**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2007, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-test-questions/400191/5 "2007-04-15T18:16:23Z")

Thanks. I thought that it might be a liver function test of some kind, and I had a donut about an hour before the test, so that’s probably why my glucose was a bit high. ---

**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2007, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-test-questions/400191/6 "2007-04-15T18:17:13Z")

ALT and AST fluctuate a lot. But call your doctor tomorrow if you don’t want to wait and worry. Also: You may want to look up your medication to see if the changes in these tests is a listed side effect.