What is Alkaline phosphatase test?

Alkaline phosphatase is a type of enzyme that exists in the body. Enzymes are proteins that help chemical reactions. For example, it can break down large molecules into smaller parts or help assemble smaller molecules into larger structures.

You have alkaline phosphatase all over your body, including your liver, digestive system, kidneys, and bones.

If you have signs of liver or bone disease, your doctor may order an alkaline phosphatase (ALP) test to measure the amount of enzymes in your blood and help diagnose the problem.

Sometimes it is part of a broader group of tests that check how the liver is functioning, called a regular liver or liver panel.

Why should I take this test?

If her liver is not working properly, she may have high levels of ALP in her blood. Doctors often use this test to check for blocked bile ducts. Other conditions that can cause liver problems include:

• liver cancer

• cirrhosis

• hepatitis

• blocked bile ducts

This test can also detect bone problems such as:

• Paget's disease, which affects bone growth

• Problems caused by vitamin D deficiency

Interpretation of test results It is given in units (IU/l). .

The report may also include reference ranges that may vary from lab to lab. A common reference range is 44-147 IU/L, although some professional bodies recommend a range of 30-120 IU/L. For this reason, it is important to check test reports against the reference range of the lab that analyzed the samples.

Elevated ALP can indicate many other conditions besides liver and bone disease. However, high ALP values ​​are not necessarily a sign of a problem.

Several factors may be considered when interpreting test results. For example, ALP is usually higher in pregnant women, growing children and adolescents, and the elderly. ALP produced in the gut can also increase after fatty meals in people with certain blood types. It can be caused by nutritional deficiencies, hypothyroidism, and some rare genetic disorders that affect ALP or liver function. Persistent low levels of ALP may indicate hypophosphatasia (HPP), a rare genetic disorder of bone metabolism.

If there is an ALP isozyme test, the test report will show values ​​for different types of ALP. Elevation of specific ALP sources can localize tissue damage and other diseases in the body.

Regardless of the type of ALP test you have, it is important to discuss your test results with your doctor. Your doctor can best explain what your test results mean for your health and whether other tests might be beneficial.

When discussing test results with your doctor, these questions may help you better understand your situation and the most appropriate next steps in treatment:

What does billirubin test indicate?

What is a bilirubin blood test?

Bilirubin is a yellow pigment found in all blood and stool. A bilirubin blood test determines the level of bilirubin in the body.

Your liver may not be able to process the bilirubin in your body. This may be due to excess bilirubin, blockage, or liver inflammation.

Excess bilirubin in the body causes the skin and the whites of the eyes to turn yellow. This condition is called jaundice.

A bilirubin test can help determine if you have these conditions.

Bilirubin is formed in the body when the hemoglobin protein in old red blood cells is broken down. Shedding old cells is a normal and healthy process.

After circulating in the blood, bilirubin moves to the liver.

In the liver, bilirubin is processed, mixed with bile, excreted into the bile ducts and stored in the gallbladder.

Finally, bile is released into the small intestine to aid in fat digestion. It is eventually excreted in your stool.

Bilirubin that is bound by the liver to glucuronic acid (a glucose-derived acid) is called direct or conjugated bilirubin.

Bilirubin that is not bound to glucuronic acid is called indirect bilirubin or unconjugated bilirubin. The sum of all bilirubin in the blood is called total bilirubin.

The

comprehensive bilirubin blood test accurately measures all three levels of bilirubin in the blood: direct, indirect and total bilirubin.

In both adults and children, symptoms associated with high bilirubin include jaundice, yellowing of the skin and eyes, tiredness, itchy skin, dark urine, and loss of appetite.

Common Reasons for Bilirubin Testing there is.

Therefore, testing for bilirubin in the blood is a good way to check for liver damage.

Mild jaundice in newborns may be due to normal changes in bilirubin metabolism or may be the first sign of a medical problem.

If the birth value is too high, the baby's blood can be tested several times in the first few days of life to monitor liver function. Jaundice in newborns can be very serious and life-threatening if left untreated.

Another reason for high bilirubin levels is that more red blood cells than normal are being destroyed.

This is called hemolysis.

Bilirubin may be measured as part of a "panel" of tests. The liver is often examined with a battery of tests including:

• alanine transaminase

• aspartate aminotransferase

• alkaline phosphatase

• albumin

• total protein

normal bilirubin blood tests

In older children or adults, normal direct bilirubin levels range from 0 to 0.4 milligrams/deciliter (mg/dL).

A normal level of total bilirubin is 0.3 to 1.0 mg/dL.

Indirect circulating bilirubin is total bilirubin minus direct circulating bilirubin. Additionally, normal reference ranges may vary from laboratory to laboratory.

It is normal for newborns to have high bilirubin levels due to the stress of childbirth. Normal indirect bilirubin is less than 5.2 mg/dL in him within 24 hours of birth. However, many newborns have some form of jaundice and bilirubin levels above her 5 mg/dL in the first few days after birth.

Causes of Abnormal Results

If you have high bilirubin levels in your blood, your doctor may order other blood tests and an ultrasound.

In an adult, high bilirubin may be due to problems with the liver, bile ducts, or gallbladder. Examples include:

• liver diseases, like hepatitis

• Gilbert’s syndrome, a genetic disease

• cirrhosis, which is scarring of the liver

• biliary stricture, where part of the bile duct is too narrow to allow fluid to pass

• cancer of the gallbladder or pancreas

• gallstones

• drug toxicity

High bilirubin may also be due to problems in the blood instead of problems in the liver. Blood cells breaking down too fast can be caused by:

• Hemolytic anemia: This occurs when too many blood cells are being destroyed from an autoimmune disease, genetic defect, drug toxicity, or infection, and the liver is unable to metabolize the amount of indirect bilirubin in the body.

• Transfusion reaction: This occurs when your immune system attacks blood that was given to you through a transfusion

Infant jaundice

In an infant, high (usually indirect) bilirubin and jaundice can be very dangerous and may be caused by several factors. There are three common types:

• physiological jaundice: at two to four days after birth, caused by a brief delay in the functioning of the liver and usually not serious

• breastfeeding jaundice: during the first week of life, caused by a baby not nursing well or low milk supply in the mother

• breast milk jaundice: after two to three weeks of life, caused by the processing of some substances in breast milk

All of these can be easily treated and are usually harmless if treated.

More serious conditions that cause high bilirubin and jaundice in infants include:

• Abnormal blood cell shape, such as sickle cell anemia

• Cells called erythroblastosis fetalis, in which the baby's red blood cells are severely broken down due to a blood type mismatch between the infant and the mother

• Genetic Deficiency of certain critical proteins

• Bruising due to difficult labor

• Small size, increased red blood cell count due to premature birth

• Infections

Bilirubin blood test

Abnormally high bilirubin level on blood test If indicated, your doctor may order additional tests to determine the underlying cause.

Once your doctor has determined the cause of your high bilirubin level, you may need to do more bilirubin blood tests to monitor the effectiveness of your treatment. If the doctor determines that there is, an imaging test may be ordered to make sure there are no structural abnormalities.

What Is a CRP Test?



C-reactive protein (CRP) test, is mainly conducted for patients who are hospitalised for Covid virus treatment, but a large number of doctors are recommending the same test even to those Covid positive patients who are in home isolation with moderate to mild symptoms.

CRP is not a diagnostic test but it has prognostic value. Then, why are doctors recommending it to patients in home isolation?

What is a CRP test?

It is a blood test and it tells about inflammation level in the body during any ailment and indicates about the infection level. It can be done for any ailment. The higher value of CRP level than the normal level indicates that the infection is increasing. CRP tests is a marker which shows the level of C-reactive protein, which is made by the liver, in the blood.

Why is it recommended for the treatment of Covid patients?

Doctors are conducting it mandatorily for the patients with critical conditions who are in hospital care, because it is one of the indicators showing the body’s reaction to the ongoing treatment.



“If the CRP, which is also recommended in the guidelines for Covid treatment, is normal then the patient’s body is reacting to the treatment positively and if it is higher than the required, then doctors need to check the infection level in the body through other tests like CT scan,” said Doctor SS Johal, who runs a hospital in Jalandhar and also has Level-3 facility for the treatment of Covid patients.

“It is recommended for those in home isolation too if they do not show any improvement in their symptoms even after the passing of a week or so,” he added.