Clinical Significance

   It is useful for Diagnosing and monitoring treatment of liver, bone, intestinal, and parathyroid diseases.

Specimen

   Serum

Stability

   Frozen (preferred) : 60 days

   Refrigerated : 7 days

   Ambient : 7 days

Reference Range

   Male : 40-129 U/L

   Female : 35-104 U/L

Interpretation

   Elevated ALP can be indicative of liver or bone diseases as well as many other types of conditions. However, high ALP levels are not always a sign of a problem. Interpretation of your test results can involve consideration of multiple factors. The degree of elevation: Very high levels are often seen with blockages of the bile ducts, but high levels alone cannot distinguish between liver problems and other conditions.

   Other test measurements: ALP is often measured along with other enzymes, such as aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), and/or 5′-nucleotidase (5’-NT), and the levels of ALP relative to these enzymes can help determine the significance of your test result.

Limitation

   Low levels of ALP may also require further testing to detect nutrient deficiency or other health problems that can interfere with the normal production of this enzyme.