Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP)
What it measures
Reported in U/L. It comes from two quite different places — the bile ducts and growing bone — so the same raised value means different things at different ages, and it is normally higher in children and adolescents, whose bones are still growing, than in adults. That age dependence is one reason the lab's own reference range on your report matters more here than a general figure.
Reading it in a different unit
This lab reports Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) in u/l. Reports from other labs — especially ones using European or US-style formatting — sometimes use a different unit for the same measurement. The relationship between them:
iu/l is the same value as u/l under a different name — nothing to calculate, just a different label on the same number.
| Reported unit | How it relates to u/l |
|---|---|
| ukat/l | u/l = ukat/l × 60 |
Unit conversions verified against published molar masses and LOINC definitions. This is not a diagnostic reference — the normal range for any test is set by the laboratory that ran it and printed on your report.
Why this matters for tracking a trend
A value plotted next to earlier results only tells you something if every point is on the same scale. Two readings of the same test from two different labs, in two different units, can look like a dramatic change when nothing about your actual result changed — only the unit did. Converting to one scale before comparing is what keeps a trend line honest.
LOINC code for this test: 6768-6.
General information about laboratory measurement, not medical advice. Whether a specific result is normal for you depends on your lab's reference range, your history and your doctor's judgement — not on this page.