Alkaline Phosphatase
(ALP)

Sample type: -

Serum

Uses: -

• Diagnosis and treatment of the liver, bone, intestinal, and parathyroid diseases.

• Evaluate the contribution of the isoforms of ALP from liver, bone, and bowel to total ALP; investigate elevations of ALP to determine the tissue of origin.

Precautions: -

• Patient should be fasting overnight.

• Patients who have B or O blood group and are secretors may have an elevated ALP about two hours after a fatty meal.

Interfere factor: -

1. A variety of drugs produce mild to moderate increases or decreases in ALP levels. See Appendix J for drugs that affect outcomes.

2. Young children, those experiencing rapid growth, pregnant women, and postmenopausal women have physiologically high levels of ALP; this level is slightly increased in older persons.

3. After IV administration of albumin, there is sometimes a marked increase in ALP for several days.

4. ALP levels increase at room temperature and in refrigerated storage. Testing should be done the same day.

5. ALP levels decrease if blood is anticoagulated.

6. ALP levels increase after fatty meals.

Pre analytical errors: -

• Patient not fasting.

• Use citrate, oxalate, or EDTA anticoagulated plasma.

Corrective action: -

• Check the tube that is drawn on.

• Fasting is required.

Post analytical errors: -

• Send wrong result to the patient.

• Have patient resume hard activities.

Corrective action: -

• Ask the patient to not making any activity.

• Make sure that the same name of the patient is in the tube and the report.

Reference Range: -

• 0–1 year: 150–350 IU/L

• 1–16 years: 30–300 IU/L

• > 16 years: 30–115 IU/L