What are the differences between the different types of Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) tests for laboratory blood work?
I went to a medical laboratory to get yearly blood work done. In addition to testing for some specific “me” things that I’m monitoring, I want to get a CMP (Comprehensive Metabolic Panel).
I’m in a foreign country where I don’t really speak the language. When I said that I wanted blood work done at the lab, the agent at the front desk handed me a form with a lot of boxes to choose what I wanted to get. There is no “CMP” option, so I tried to tick the boxes for the 14 blood tests that compose a CMP, but I got stuck when I tried to check the box for the ALP (Alkaline Phosphatase) test – because there were 3 boxes (it’s in spanish):
- Fost. Alcalina
- Fost. Ácida Total
- Fost. Ac. Prostatica
What are each of these, and which of these three is the “normal” ALP test that should be included in a CMP?
