What is the effect of hemolysis on ALP measurement?

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What is the effect of hemolysis on ALP measurement?

Hemolysis causes red blood cells to rupture and spill their contents into the plasma. Red cells contain alkaline phosphatase, so when they break open, more ALP enzyme is present in the sample. The assay measures enzyme activity, so this extra enzyme makes the reaction go faster and produce more product in the same time frame, yielding a falsely higher ALP reading. The effect is not a true reflection of serum ALP, and samples that are hemolyzed are usually considered unreliable for this test.

Hemolysis causes red blood cells to rupture and spill their contents into the plasma. Red cells contain alkaline phosphatase, so when they break open, more ALP enzyme is present in the sample. The assay measures enzyme activity, so this extra enzyme makes the reaction go faster and produce more product in the same time frame, yielding a falsely higher ALP reading. The effect is not a true reflection of serum ALP, and samples that are hemolyzed are usually considered unreliable for this test.

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