Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) is an enzyme found in many body tissues, the most notable being the liver. A GGT test may be used to determine the cause of elevated alkaline phosphatase (ALP). GGT and ALP are both elevated in disease of the bile ducts and in some liver diseases, but only ALP will be elevated in bone disease. Comparing the two test results can help determine if liver or bone disease is the cause of abnormal enzyme levels. For this reason, a GGT test is often run alongside other tests when a liver issue is suspected, such as: ALP, ALT, AST, and bilirubin tests, to differentiate between liver disease, bile duct disorders, and bone disease. Some signs and symptoms of liver damage include:
- Weakness, fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea and vomiting
- Abdominal swelling / pain
- Jaundice (yellowing of the skin / eyes)
- Dark urine, light-colored stool
- Itching
Alcohol abuse is also known to affect GGT levels; therefore, GGT tests are sometimes ordered to monitor alcohol-dependency treatments and compliance with treatment programs in those with a history of alcohol abuse.
Decreased GGT levels are associated with vitamin B6 and magnesium deficiency.
A low or normal GGT test indicates that liver damage in unlikely or the person hasn’t consumed any alcohol recently.
It is worth noting that use of clofibrate and oral contraceptives can decease GGT levels.
Understand and improve your laboratory results with our health dashboard.
Upload your lab reports and get your interpretation today.
Our technology helps to understand, combine, track, organize, and act on your medical lab test results.
An elevated GGT level indicates that something is damaging the liver but does not indicate specifically what. Generally, the higher the GGT level the greater the damage to the liver. Therefore, a high GGT level typically warrants further testing. Elevated levels may be due to liver diseases (such as hepatitis or cirrhosis), or they may be due to other conditions (such as congestive heart failure, diabetes, or pancreatitis). As mentioned above, alcohol abuse and smoking can also cause elevated GGT, as well as drugs that are toxic to the liver, including: phenytoin, carbamazepine, and barbiturates. In addition, use of many other prescription and non-prescription drugs, including NSAIDs, lipid-lowering drugs, antibiotics, stomach acid reducers, antifungal agents, antidepressants, and testosterone can increase GGT levels.
It is worth noting that GGT levels increase with age in women, but not in men, and are always somewhat higher in men than in women.
Interpret Your Lab Results
Upload your lab report, and we'll interpret and provide you with recommendations today.
Get StartedOur specialized data entry service is designed to seamlessly integrate your laboratory results into your private dashboard. Just send in your lab test results—whether it's an image or a file—and our skilled data entry team will handle the rest. We accommodate various file formats like PDFs, JPGs, and Excel.
The first report is complimentary. After that, the data entry service is priced at $15 per report, unless it's part of your subscribed plan. It's an ideal solution whether you have numerous reports to upload or if your schedule doesn't permit self-data entry.
We strive to make the data entry process easy for you. Whether by offering dozens of templates to choose from that pre-populate the most popular laboratory panels or by giving you instant feedback on the entered values. Our data entry forms are an easy, fast, and convenient way to enter the reports yourself. There is no limit on how many lab reports you can upload.
Personal plans
track personal results
Professional Plan
track multiple client's results
$15/month
$250/once
own it for life
$45/month
for health professionals
Personal Account
$15/month
for personal lab results
$250/once
own it for life
Level up your lab report analysis with our Pro plan, built for health practitioners like you.
Health Business Account
$45/month
Unlock additional Pro plans when you sign up.
At HealthMatters, we're committed to maintaining the security and confidentiality of your personal information. We've put industry-leading security standards in place to help protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of the information under our control. We use procedural, physical, and electronic security methods designed to prevent unauthorized people from getting access to this information. Our internal code of conduct adds additional privacy protection. All data is backed up multiple times a day and encrypted using SSL certificates. See our Privacy Policy for more details.
Abnormal Protein Band 1, Actin (Smooth muscle) Antibody (IgG), Albumin (via Protein electrophoresis), Alpha-1-Globulin, Serum, Alpha-2-Globulin, Serum, baski sore, Beta Globulin, Serum, Beta-1-Globulin, Serum, Beta-2-Globulin, Serum, Bile Acid, Bilirubin Direct, Bilirubin Indirect, Cholinesterase, Serum, FIB 4 Index, FIB-4 Index, Gamma Globulin, Serum, Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase (GGT), Mitochondrial (M2) Antibody, Pre-Albumin, Prealbumin