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Blood And Urine Test Done. Feeling Anxious. What Does The Report Suggest?
Question: I recently had a home exam due to getting a new life insurance policy. They came and took blood and urine. I got the lab results in the mail and I'm very troubled by one of the results. The alkaline phosphatase normal range reads- 39-117 U/L Mine read LOW and looked like this <6 Can you please tell me what this might indicate?? I am so anxious to know what this can mean. I can't get into or speak to my doctor until next week! I have searched all over the internet and get more confused every time?? In your opinion what do you think this can be? Thank You
Hello,
Thank you for posting your query.
If from all lab tests just ALP ranges is low , then don't worry, this is not an emergency and you can wait till next week when you will see your Physician.I want to let you know that normal values vary from one lab to another , for example one lab have normal ALP ranges 20-140 IU/L , another 25-100 IU/L, in your case 39-117 IU/L. In this case will be better recheck your ALP and other enzymes and total protein in blood. Low ALP level are very rarely but may appear in malnutrition( lack of nutrients, proteins ), vitamin C , magnesium, zinc deficiency. Adjust your diet, meals, consult your Physician and if need rechek blood work.
Please , do write back in case you have follow up queries to ask.
Good luck and take care.
Sincerely,
Dr.Mihail
Thank you for posting your query.
If from all lab tests just ALP ranges is low , then don't worry, this is not an emergency and you can wait till next week when you will see your Physician.I want to let you know that normal values vary from one lab to another , for example one lab have normal ALP ranges 20-140 IU/L , another 25-100 IU/L, in your case 39-117 IU/L. In this case will be better recheck your ALP and other enzymes and total protein in blood. Low ALP level are very rarely but may appear in malnutrition( lack of nutrients, proteins ), vitamin C , magnesium, zinc deficiency. Adjust your diet, meals, consult your Physician and if need rechek blood work.
Please , do write back in case you have follow up queries to ask.
Good luck and take care.
Sincerely,
Dr.Mihail
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thank You for responding, while I was researching on the internet I came across a bunch of different possibilities for having Low alkaline phosphatase. One mentioned symptoms and I do experience bone pain and I am also very thin. so that made me even more nervous! Can I just ask you what <6 actually means? I know it is Low but I don't understand how low or what the <6 means. Is that off the charts low? I guess I'm just looking for an answer to why mine might be so low? I didn't have a CBC since 2009 but everything seemed ok at that time..except for low potassium. Thanks again for anymore information that you can possibly give me.. I am very stressed out over this..and trying to figure it out! Thanks!
Hello,
Thank you for your question.
I don’t think you need to worry at this point in time. You neither have a chronic condition nor leukemia. If someone has a chronic disease, this person must develop many signs and symptoms. In your case, I don’t see any of them, so don’t worry, you don’t have any reasons to be nervous. As I stated before, low ALP levels can be due to malnutrition, protein deficiency ( it is possible in your case as you stated you are “thin” ) and deficiency of vitamins and minerals. Very rarely, it may be caused by a genetic disorder like hypophosphatasia, which is extremely unlikely in your case. Low level < 6 means International Units IU per liter so is not so low taking in consideration that fact that minimum level in many laboratories are 20 IU/L . It would be better for you to repeat a CBC, Liver function test that will include liver enzymes, total proteins, albumin, Biochemistry with Na, K, ( in the past you had low )Mg, Ca .
With all these results, make an appointment with your physician for further clarification. Please take a healthy and balanced diet, XXXXXXX in protein, and with plenty of fruits and vegetables. Exercise regularly and try and get atleast 7 hours of sleep.
Please do write back in case you have any other questions.
Take care.
Thank you for your question.
I don’t think you need to worry at this point in time. You neither have a chronic condition nor leukemia. If someone has a chronic disease, this person must develop many signs and symptoms. In your case, I don’t see any of them, so don’t worry, you don’t have any reasons to be nervous. As I stated before, low ALP levels can be due to malnutrition, protein deficiency ( it is possible in your case as you stated you are “thin” ) and deficiency of vitamins and minerals. Very rarely, it may be caused by a genetic disorder like hypophosphatasia, which is extremely unlikely in your case. Low level < 6 means International Units IU per liter so is not so low taking in consideration that fact that minimum level in many laboratories are 20 IU/L . It would be better for you to repeat a CBC, Liver function test that will include liver enzymes, total proteins, albumin, Biochemistry with Na, K, ( in the past you had low )Mg, Ca .
With all these results, make an appointment with your physician for further clarification. Please take a healthy and balanced diet, XXXXXXX in protein, and with plenty of fruits and vegetables. Exercise regularly and try and get atleast 7 hours of sleep.
Please do write back in case you have any other questions.
Take care.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Aparna Kohli
Answered by
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