What does it mean if my alkaline phosphate levels are high (259)?!

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Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is an enzyme found primarily in bones and liver but can also be found in other tissues of the body such as the intestine, kidney, placenta when pregnant, and in white blood cells. It is thought that ALP is increased in the body only when there are actively growing new cells being produced. ALP enzyme circulates in the body for about 3 days before it starts to break down.

If ALP is consistently high, there are actively growing cells. Further lab studies are needed to see if the elevated levels are coming from the liver or bone. A test called a GGT level, a sensitive indicator of liver function, may be tested.

Causes of high alkaline phosphate include - gallstones, bone damage, paget's disease, rickets, vitamin D deficiency, healing fracture, hyperparathyroidism, pulmonary infarction, heart failure, liver disease/obstruction to the liver or within the liver, lack of oxygen to the liver, pancreatitis, severe anaemia, cushing's disease, drugs such as glucocorticoids (steroids), primidone, phenobarbital (anti-seizure drug), diabetics with poorly controlled blood sugars, people who use tobacco, alcoholics, serious infections.

ALP also rises after a heart attack and with inflammatory bowel disease. In some cases, no cause can be found and the level will return to normal after several months although this is more likely to be the case when the level is only mildly elevated. Elevations that are greater than 1.5 x the normal value are more likely to be due to liver or bone disease. Elevated ALP is normal in growing children and in pregnant women.

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP)

Female 42 - 98 U/L
Male 53 - 128 U/L

259 U/L is slightly higher than 1.5 x the normal value if you are female and slightly under if you are male.

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RedAngel