Clinical Information

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is present in a number of tissues including liver, bone, intestine, and placenta. The activity of ALP found in serum is a composite of isoenzymes from those sites and, in some circumstances, placental or Regan isoenzymes. Serum ALP is of interest in the diagnosis of 2 main groups of conditions: hepatobiliary disease and bone disease associated with increased osteoblastic activity.

A rise in ALP activity occurs with all forms of cholestasis, particularly with obstructive jaundice. The response of the liver to any form of biliary tree obstruction is to synthesize more ALP. The main site of new enzyme synthesis is the hepatocytes adjacent to the biliary canaliculi.

ALP is also elevated in disorders of the skeletal system that involve osteoblast hyperactivity and bone remodeling, such as Paget disease, rickets, osteomalacia, fractures, and malignant tumors.

Moderate elevation of ALP may be seen in other disorders such as Hodgkin disease, congestive heart failure, ulcerative colitis, regional enteritis, and intra-abdominal bacterial infections.