Heart disease: Any disorder that affects the heart. Sometimes the term  heart disease  is used narrowly and incorrectly as a synonym for coronary artery disease.Heart disease is synonymous with cardiac disease but not with cardiovascular disease which is any disease of the heart or blood vessels.mong the many types of heart disease, see, for example: Angina; Arrhythmia; Congenital heart disease; Coronary artery disease (CAD); Dilated cardiomyopathy; Heart attack (myocardial infarction); Heart failure; Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy; Mitral regurgitation; Mitral valve prolapse; and Pulmonary stenosis.
The alanine aminotransferase (ALT) test is typically used to detect liver injury. It is often ordered in conjunction with aspartate aminotransferase (AST) or as part of a liver panel to screen for and/or help diagnose liver disease.
AST, however, is not specific for the liver and may be increased in conditions affecting other parts of the body. An AST test is often performed along with an alanine aminotransferase (ALT) test. Both are enzymes found in the liver that become elevated in the blood when the liver is damaged.