Causes of elevated alkaline phosphatase

When alkaline phosphatase levels are high during physical examinations, many people do not know what alkaline phosphatase is or why their levels are high. In fact, alkaline phosphatase exists in many organs of the human body, such as the liver, kidneys, bones, etc. Alkaline phosphatase exists in these parts of the body, so I hope you pay attention to the high level of alkaline phosphatase.

Because alkaline phosphatase is widely present in the human body, if the alkaline phosphatase level is too high or too low, it directly reflects your current physical condition. Especially when it is too high, the harm is more serious. So, what causes elevated alkaline phosphatase levels?

In clinical practice, alkaline phosphatase determination is mainly used for the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of bone and hepatobiliary system diseases, especially the differential diagnosis of jaundice. For unexplained high ALP serum levels, isoenzymes can be measured to help determine their organ of origin.

1. Physiological increase: During the physiological bone development period, the activity of alkaline phosphatase in children can be 1 to 2 times higher than that of normal people. It can increase in growing adolescents, pregnant women, and after eating foods high in fat.

2. Pathological increase:

(1) Bone diseases such as rickets, osteomalacia, bone malignancies, bone metastases of malignant tumors, etc.;

(2) Hepatobiliary diseases such as extrahepatic bile duct obstruction, liver cancer, cirrhosis, capillary cholangiohepatitis, etc.;

(3) Other diseases such as hyperparathyroidism.

3. Pathological decrease: seen in severe chronic nephritis, hypothyroidism in children, anemia, etc.

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is a commonly used indicator for diagnosing biliary system diseases. Alkaline phosphatase is present in various tissues of the body, with higher levels in bones, liver, and kidneys. Alkaline phosphatase in normal serum mainly comes from bones, is produced by osteoblasts, travels through the blood to the liver, and is excreted from the biliary system. This enzyme is significantly elevated in cholestatic hepatitis and extrahepatic obstruction. ALP can only indicate obstructive lesions in the biliary tract, but cannot distinguish whether the obstruction is benign or malignant. Generally speaking, most chronic liver diseases have more or less fibrosis, but the severity varies.

After knowing the reasons for elevated alkaline phosphatase, if you find that you have elevated alkaline phosphatase during a physical examination, it is recommended that you undergo a detailed examination of organs such as the liver and gallbladder to confirm the cause of the elevated alkaline phosphatase so that you can treat it at its root and completely resolve the problem of elevated alkaline phosphatase.