Last updated on 16th Oct 2021 - By Dwayne Michaels

How Abnormal ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE affects heart?

Men with recent heart surgery, malnutrition, magnesium deficiency, or severe anemia may have an abnormal Alkaline Phosphatase or ALP level. An alkaline phosphatase (ALP) test measures the amount of ALP in your blood.

ALP is an enzyme found throughout the body, but it is mostly found in the liver, bones, kidneys, and digestive system.

The level of alkaline phosphatase in the blood is checked through the ALP test, which is often part of routine blood tests. The levels of this enzyme in the blood depend on factors such as age, sex, or blood type.

Blood levels of ALP also increase by two to four times during pregnancy. This is a result of additional alkaline phosphatase produced by the placenta.

Abnormal levels of alkaline phosphatase in the blood could indicate issues relating to the liver, gall bladder or bones. Infections and Kidney tumors as well as malnutrition have also shown abnormal level of ALP.

Alkaline phosphatase levels in a cell can be measured through a process called "The scoring method". A blood smear is usually taken and stained to categorize each leukocyte into specific "leukocyte alkaline phosphatase indices".

This marker is designed to distinguish leukocytes and determine different enzyme activity from each sample's extent of staining.

Alkaline phosphatases are classified as tissue-specific and tissue nonspecific types. Alkaline phosphatases found in the intestine, placenta, and germinal tissue are tissue-specific. This means they are found only in the tissues where they are expressed in physiological conditions.

They may also contribute to the circulating pool of serum alkaline phosphatase under specific situations when there is increased stimulation of their production. The tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatases form most of the fraction circulating in serum and, therefore, is of clinical interest.

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Placental alkaline phosphatase is elevated in seminomas and active forms of rickets, as well as in the following diseases and conditions:

• Acute cholecystitis
• Myelofibrosis
• Leukemoid reaction
• Biliary obstruction
• Paget's disease
• Myocardial infarction
• Hyperthyroidism
• Hyperparathyroidism
• Osteoblastic bone tumors
• Hepatitis
• Cirrhosis
• Lymphoma

The following conditions or diseases may lead to reduced levels of alkaline phosphatase:

• Steroid treatment
• Colitis
• Hypophosphatasia
• Children with congenital iodine deficiency
• Aplastic anemia
• Postmenopausal women receiving estrogen therapy because of aging
• Pernicious anemia
• Children with achondroplasia
• Children after a severe episode of enteritis

The purpose of testing ALP is to determine if you have normal levels of this enzyme. An ALP blood test can be used for screening and diagnosis of liver diseases and other health conditions.

So what is screening of ALP? Screening is basically checking for health problems before any symptoms have occurred. Screening tests rarely measure ALP alone, but it is a standard part of multi-measurement tests such as a liver panel and CMP.

What is diagnosis of ALP? Diagnosis is the process of finding the cause after symptoms have developed. ALP is most often tested for diagnosis when there are signs of possible liver problems, such as vomiting, abdominal pain, jaundice, fatigue, or unexplained weight loss.

It is also often prescribed if you have symptoms of bone disorders such as bone fractures or bone pain. For general symptoms, ALP measurement as part of a liver panel or CMP may help identify the cause.