Alkaline Phosphatase May Be a Marker of Inflammation in CKD Patients

ORLANDO, Fla.—Serum alkaline phosphatase may be a marker for inflammation in CKD patients, according to data presented here at the National Kidney Foundation’s 2010 Spring Clinical Meetings.

In a study of more than 900 adults with CKD (mean age 69.6 years, 37% men, 7% African-American) who participated in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, researchers at the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City found that higher serum alkaline phosphatase levels were associated with lower levels of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-D).

Subjects in the highest quartile of serum alkaline phosphatase had a 2.54-fold higher odds of elevated C-reactive protein levels after adjusting for serum 25-D levels. “Therefore, serum alkaline phosphatase might be a marker of inflammatory milieu in the CKD population,” the investigators concluded.