What is consider normal range of alkaline phosphates level in a person with PBC? I

[WendyMarie]

I know in the US, the normal ALP range is 50-130 for a healthy person. However, what is considered normal range for a person with PBC? My ALP ranges from 150-500. Also I am told the ALP numbers are not that important, then why bother? I'm confused.

[Hidden]

Hello WendyMarie.

Well I did wonder this myself some time ago but haven't found out what sort of scale PBC somehow goes by.

I was informed when I asked about mine still being abnormal (I was diagnosed Dec 2010 when I was 46) and was just told that they were fine for me with PBC. So I haven't bothered since. I know that in PBC LFTs are not expected to be within a normal range. Some are fortunate when taking urso to have their LFTs drop back to normal though, some stay on a certain level and of course some do continue to rise.

The ALP and ALT do for me sort of see-saw where one goes up a bit, the other down even if they are still abnormal.

Apparently in PBC the ones to look out for are the bilirubin actually and another one I cannot at present recall.

All in all I decided long ago that I'd not bother about the blood results even though I do get print-outs of them as to me all you can end up doing is wondering, worrying or even stressing out about them when basically there is little we can do to alter them and just have to continue going, live life, enjoy and get on.

Even though I am myself an advocate of knowing what is going on I do draw a line and some things I think are best left be as I don't want to know. I was fortunate that here in the UK I had the criteria for PBC diagnose (abnormal and elevating LFTs, itching and back in 2010 fatigue and a positive titre of the AMAs) without the need for a liver biopsy. I just do not bother with how it is mentioned of staging of PBC as in my opinion in our time now it can be known how one is doing with non-evasive ultrasound (or if one is fortunate the new fibro scan that in the UK under the NHS is a bit longer being more available at present it seems) along with the blood results.

[spoul]

My alkaline phosphatase is higher than normal range but stable for me, the same is true of my ALT but given that my bloods were all in the thousands when I was first diagnosed the urso has stabilised my liver function tests. And that's good enough for me.

[Hidden in reply to spoul]

Hello again spoul.

Didn't realise how high your original LFTs were, mine were just over the 500 mark back in 2010 pre-diagnosis. My ALP and AST and GGT are still all abnormal but under half of this now though they can bounce up anything up to another hundred on top each LFT though they can also come down as much. I am apparently classed as stable 3yrs on so for me as yourself good enough.

[Hidden]

Hello WendyMarie

Not sure what would be normal for Pbc, but my most recent test was two weeks ago and when I called the Gp for results I was told they were borderline, not sure how to interpret that. Is it borderline normal or borderline for someone with Pbc but I can say they have been borderline for almost 5 years now.

I had to visit him for vit D, so for the first time ever, I asked what my numbers were as lots of people on here are given the numbers and i became curious. You see My Gp never has never given them to me neither has the Gastro, when i ask her she tells me go and forget the pbc and live my life and to let her worry about my liver. Which is just what I do now, I know if anything changes she will be the first to let me know.

My Alp was 275 this time, but that doesn't mean much to me on a scale , except it was a whole 2 points better than the one before , my Gp considered my appointment time was up at that point, so never got any for further back. i think the important thing is that your numbers are stable for you. As every one does seem to be different.

[Mrsfancypants]

Mine have risen too. I don’t know what this means ?