PATIENT INFORMATION
Your liver blood test is slightly raised
One of your liver readings is higher than expected. This page explains what that does and does not mean, what tests we have arranged, and what helps while you wait.
What this result means
Your blood test included a group of readings called liver function tests. One of them, called ALT, is a little higher than we expect.
This is common. Around 1 in 5 liver blood tests comes back with a reading outside the normal range. On its own, a raised reading is not a diagnosis.
Most of the time the cause turns out to be something ordinary. What matters is that we find out which, rather than leave it unexplained.
What ALT is
ALT is an enzyme that lives inside liver cells. When liver cells are irritated, a little leaks into the blood. So a raised ALT tells us the liver is being irritated by something.
It does not tell us what, and it does not tell us how serious it is. How high the number is does not tell us how much damage there is. A small rise can matter, and a larger one can have an ordinary cause.
That is why we test rather than guess.
The usual causes
- fat in the liver, the most common cause, linked to weight, type 2 diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol
- alcohol, even at levels many people would not call heavy
- a medicine, including ones you buy yourself, herbal remedies and supplements
- a viral infection, either a recent one or a long-standing hepatitis
- an immune condition, where the body's defences irritate the liver, or coeliac disease
- too much iron stored in the body
Several of these cause no symptoms at all. They are usually found on a blood test, not because someone felt unwell.
What we have done
We have arranged 3 things.
More blood tests. One set looks for an infection, an immune cause, an iron problem and coeliac disease. It also gives a liver scarring score, your blood sugar and your cholesterol.
If you have been asked to book a blood test, please do, because the answer depends on it.
An ultrasound scan of your tummy. This does not usually hurt and usually takes 10 to 45 minutes. The hospital will contact you with a date and will say if you need to do anything beforehand.
A short questionnaire, sent by text. Please answer it. Your answers about alcohol and about anything you buy yourself change what your results mean.
What you need to do
These help whatever the cause turns out to be.
Do
- keep alcohol well within 14 units a week, with several drink-free days
- lose some weight if you are above a healthy weight, because this reduces fat in the liver
- move more, because there is some evidence that exercise reduces fat in the liver
- keep eating foods with gluten, such as bread and pasta, until the blood test is done
- stop any herbal remedy, bodybuilding product or supplement you bought yourself, unless a doctor or midwife advised it
- keep taking the medicines we have prescribed
Do not
- do not do not stop a prescribed medicine without speaking to us first
What happens next
Once the blood tests and the scan are back, your GP will look at them together and text you.
- Most people have a clear set of tests and a reassuring scarring score. That usually means fat in the liver, or alcohol, and we recheck in 3 years.
- Some people need a further test or a specialist opinion to look at the liver more closely. That is a precaution, not a diagnosis.
- A few people have a specific cause that needs treating. If that is you, your GP will ask you to book a phone call rather than explain it by text.
If you have not heard from the hospital about the scan within 4 weeks, let us know.
Fewer than 1 in 20 people with a raised reading have a specific liver condition, such as hepatitis. There is no need to wait anxiously.
Immediate action required: Call 999 or go to A&E if you:
- vomit blood
- have black, tarry poo
- become confused or unusually drowsy
Urgent advice: Contact the surgery the same day if:
- your skin or the whites of your eyes turn yellow
- you have severe tummy pain
More information
NHS.UKNon-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)www.nhs.uk/conditions/non-alcoholic-fatty-liver-disease/ NHS.UKAlcohol units - how to count themwww.nhs.uk/live-well/alcohol-advice/calculating-alcohol-units/
Reviewed 23 October 2026 ยท next review 16 December 2026