Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is a marker used in which types of testing?

• A. Liver and bone function
• B. Cardiac function
• C. Pancreatic function
• D. Kidney function

Answer: (A)

Alkaline phosphatase is an enzyme produced mainly by the liver and by bone. Measuring its level helps assess processes in those tissues, so it’s used as a marker of liver function (especially for bile flow problems like cholestasis or bile-duct obstruction) and bone function (reflecting osteoblast activity in growth, healing fractures, or diseases with high bone turnover). It’s not a primary marker of heart, pancreas, or kidney function, which are evaluated with different enzymes and tests. In practice, if ALP is elevated, clinicians often look at other clues (like GGT) to decide whether the source is the liver or bone, guiding further testing and interpretation.