title: Clinical significance of a low serum alkaline phosphatase.
abstract: The reasons for a low serum alkaline phosphatase activity were reviewed in a 1-yr retrospective study of all the results emanating from a central, university hospital laboratory. Apart from occasional errors, hypophosphatasaemia was encountered in neonates undergoing exchange transfusions with plasma, in patients (particularly children) receiving chemotherapy and during cardio-pulmonary bypass. Low activity values were recorded in several individuals in the absence of any obvious cause. This would suggest that the definition of the lower limit of the reference range for alkaline phosphatase is arbitrary, thus limiting the use of low serum activity as a marker of disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, University Hospital, Leiden, Netherlands.
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Macfarlane
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Souverijn
authors.forename: F C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Breedveld
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000097:blood*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects; D002315:Cardiopulmonary Bypass / Q000009:adverse effects; D002648:Child; D005078:Exchange Transfusion, Whole Blood / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007014:Hypophosphatasia / Q000097:blood*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D012016:Reference Values; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase