There are certain drugs that can interfere with the results. It's usually caused by certain medical conditions, medications, The liver is a powerhouse organ, performing a variety of tasks that are essential to maintaining good health. Explore our network of care for kids, from the tiniest to teens and young adults. 2023 Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings. Clinical Enzymology. Serum intestinal ALP level increases in these individuals about two hours following consumption of a fatty meal. Learn about the types, causes, and treatment of bone cancer. It may be one of many tests in a liver panel, for example. Intestinal strangulation or obstruction, or ulcerative lesion. The blood sample is collected in a tube and analyzed by a laboratory. What is the normal range of alkaline phosphatase? Doctors usually use this test to diagnose bone and liver disorders. In this case, the doctor may request imaging tests to check the bones. Checking ALP levels in the blood is a routine part of liver function and gallbladder tests. Dennis Sifris, MD, is an HIV specialist and Medical Director of LifeSense Disease Management. The normal range of values of ALP differs by age and pregnancy status. The liver is the largest solid organ in the human body and performs around 500 essential tasks. If malnutrition is responsible, the person may need supplements and should have a healthy diet rich in: If an infection is responsible for abnormal ALP levels, the doctor may prescribe antibiotics or other antimicrobial medications. Questions or comments about our tests and resources? Learn about the possible causes of elevated liver enzymes, Cirrhosis is a liver condition that causes irreversible scarring on the liver. ISBN: 978-93-5152-333-8. Alkaline phosphatase may reduce inflammation in the gut and may protect against type 2 diabetes. Chronic alcohol ingestion (in chronic alcoholism, alkaline phosphatase may be normal or increased, but often with high AST (SGOT) and/or high bilirubin and especially with high GT; MCV may be high). Symptoms such as jaundice, abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting may lead your doctor to suspect somethings wrong with your liver or gallbladder. Align your health hacks with your genes for optimal health & cognitive function. For men and women older than age 18, an ALP level between 44 and 147 U/L is considered normal. If ALP comes back high, the doctor may order the ALP isozyme test to see which specific type of alkaline phosphatase is elevated. 0.5-2.0 ng/mL. To confirm biliary abnormality, an additional useful test is GT. Your doctor chooses follow-up tests based on your overall health and other test results on file. We report here the normal range of serum alkaline phophatase activity as measured by the method proposed by Hausamen et al. Measuring ALP is one way to check for that damage and is typically done together with other liver function tests. Conclusion: Serum vitamin D3 levels may not be correlated with increased serum alkaline phosphatase levels. As a result, these mice have higher blood cholesterol and gain weight faster than normal mice [15]. What is the range for alkaline phosphatase? An enzyme is a type of protein that catalyzes (causes or accelerates) chemical reactions in the body. We link primary sources including studies, scientific references, and statistics within each article and also list them in the resources section at the bottom of our articles. 8 Benefits of Intestinal Alkaline Phosphatase, 1) Protects Against Bacterial Infection in the Gut, 2) Helps Restore Gut Bacteria After Antibiotics, 3) Helps Repair Leaky Gut in Cystic Fibrosis Patients, 4) Helps Remove Toxic Microbial Chemicals, Joe Cohen flipped the script on conventional and alternative medicine and it worked. In: Rifai N, Horvath AR, Wittwer C, eds. 7. Age-related reference ranges Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) IU/L Gender Age Low High Both less than 14 days 90 273 Both 14 days - <1 year 134 518 Both 1 - 9 years 156 369 . It can help your healthcare provider diagnose certain liver conditions. but is for informational and educational purposes alone. Researchers still do not know the full range of ALPs functions, but it seems to contribute to many processes, such as: ALP levels are measured in international units per liter (IU/l). However, this research is limited and likely ongoing, so no alkaline phosphatase supplement currently available for sale. The normal range runs higher in children and decreases with age. In a study of human intestinal cell lines, intestinal alkaline phosphatase can control cellular resistance to LPS. Accommodations. (1) Serum ALP is increased during pregnancy. Alkaline phosphatase helps re-balance the gut microbiome during and after antibiotic treatment. allowed for additional confirmatory or additional reflex tests. These ranges depend on the makeup of the local population, the technologies used and the accuracy of the measurement. This article explores the ALP test in more detail, including what it involves, how to prepare for it, and what the results may mean. American Association for Clinical Chemistry. An ALP test is a blood test. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2016:chap 146. The best way to know what is normal or not is to discuss the results with your doctor, who will be able to interpret the labs specific result and reference ranges. Normal values may vary slightly from laboratory to laboratory. (2021). Healthline Media does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Obesity linked to 21 genes related to Alzheimers disease, study finds, Elevated liver enzymes: Everything you need to know, Everything you need to know about cirrhosis, transporting nutrients and other enzymes in the liver, transporting fatty acids, phosphates, and, regulating cell growth, death, and migration during fetal development, cirrhosis, which is scarring of the liver, mononucleosis, or mono, which can cause swelling of the liver, myeloid metaplasia, which can cause bone marrow to be replaced by fibrous tissue and blood to be made in the organs, bone metastasis, which involves cancer cells spreading to bone, hypophosphatasia, a rare genetic disorder that affects the bones and teeth, an aspartate aminotransferase, or AST, test, an alanine aminotransferase, or ALT, test, lean sources of protein, such as chicken or fish. For men and women older than age 18, an ALP level between 44 and 147 U/L is considered normal. Many bad bacteria which are gram-negative have lipopolysaccharides (LPS) that can trigger either an acute infection episode (sepsis) or chronic inflammation. IFCC method for alkaline phosphatase. Lala V, Goyal A, Bansal P, Minter DA. Serum ALP activity of intestinal origin occurs only in individuals of ABO blood type O or A. In: McPherson RA, Pincus MR, eds. Healing infarcts in other organs, including kidney, may also cause increased alkaline phosphatase); other situations in which angiofibroplasia occurs, such as healing in a large decubitus ulcer. Stable Expression of the Alkaline Phosphatase Marker Gene by Neural Cells in Culture and after Transplantation into the CNS Using Cells Derived from a Transgenic Rat. The examples above show the common measurements for results for these tests. Your doctor may want to find the source of high ALP levels, or explain why ALP is low. One common reference range is from 44 to 147 international units per liter (IU/L), but some organizations recommend a range of 30 to 120 IU/L. In rare cases, phlebitis (inflammation of the vein) may develop. Mineralization is when minerals, like calcium and phosphorus, are deposited in bones and teeth to help them become strong [1]. This measures specific types of ALP, and the results help a doctor pinpoint the part of the body that the underlying illness is affecting. Alkaline phosphatase is used as a tumor marker. Enzyme serves a biomarker for liver, bone, and other diseases. James Myhre is an American journalist and HIV educator. Our goal is to not have a single piece of inaccurate information on this website. There are very few risks associated with having your blood drawn. It is most abundant in the bones, liver, kidneys, and intestines. Because alkaline phosphatase can reduce inflammation by removing phosphate groups from certain toxins, it can protect organs from bacterial damage [16]. They are continually monitored by our internal peer-review process and if we see anyone making material science errors, we don't let them write for us again. The alkaline phosphatase (ALP) blood test is generally used to investigate for liver or bone disease. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds. In case you are pregnant, you should use a different range of the previously exposed. Sharma U, Pal D, Prasad R. Alkaline phosphatase: An overview. Alkaline phosphatase is one kind enzyme found in your body. Fatty metamorphosis of liver (moderate increase occurs in acute fatty liver). Elevated levels can also result from an increase in bone cell activity. Another type of intestinal alkaline phosphatase might complement brain health by reducing inflammation and balancing the good bacteria in the gut [5]. Turn off your ad blocker to continue reading. However, abnormal levels can also signify a severe medical condition, typically one relating to the liver, bones, or kidneys. Bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP) is the bone-specific isoform of alkaline phosphatase. Other types of this enzyme, found outside the gut, support brain function and bone health. This enzyme functions in an alkaline environment (optimum pH of 10). How is this test done? Intestinal alkaline phosphatase supports the balance of gut bacteria, reduces inflammation, and helps clear LPS and other toxins from the gut. Increases in serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity commonly originate from either one or both of 2 sources: liver and bone. Additionally, data tables of age- and sex-specific percentile values allow the incorporation of these results into laboratory information systems. Alkaline phosphatase is an enzyme. Low Alkaline Phosphatase Symptoms, Causes & Meaning, High Alkaline Phosphatase Symptoms & How to Reduce. Clin Biochem. Lowe D, et al. Pregnant women have higher blood alkaline phosphatase activity. Marked decline of high ALP of pregnancy is seen with placental insufficiency and imminent fetal demise. 25th ed. What is the alkaline phosphatase (ALP) blood test used for? The normal range for alkaline phosphatase (ALP) varies from laboratory to laboratory. They also can vary with age and sex. Lammers WJ, van Buuren HR, Hirschfield GM, et al: Levels of alkaline phosphatase and bilirubin are surrogate end points of outcomes of patients with primary biliary cirrhosis: An international follow-up study. They also can vary with age and sex. Treating antibiotic-treated mice with intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP) before Salmonella and Clostridium infection protects the mice from the infection, suggesting that it helped to rapidly restore gut flora. Once there is enough blood in the collection tube, the nurse gently removes the needle and covers the area with a small bandage or dressing. 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