CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF AN INCREASED OR DECREASED SERUM ALKALINE-PHOSPHATASE LEVEL

  • 1 January 1978
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 102  (10) , 497-501
Abstract
An increase in the level of serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) may be caused by a wide variety of pathologic lesions that involve multiple organs, since the enzyme is an ubiquitous one. Before one attempts to identify a significant pathologic abnormality, the clinician should consider the possibility of a physiologic or spurious cause for an increased level of ALP. A decreased ALP level also has diagnostic value [in humans].