Incidental Finding of Extreme Elevation of Serum Alkaline Phosphatase in Pregnancy

Abstract

Increased levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) should alert us to changes in the liver, kidney, bone and malignancy. However, there is a physiological increase in pregnancy up to twice the upper limit. There has been a paucity of cases reporting extreme elevations of ALP in pregnancy. This is a case of an incidental pregnancy finding of a 24-fold increase in ALP in the third trimester (2877 U/L). The patient was kept under surveillance and ALP levels were monitored during the postpartum period. Literature suggests a correlation between ALP elevation and several perinatal complications, proposing it could represent an important tool in monitoring high-risk pregnancies and underlying placental damage. We report a case with no perinatal complications and normal labor at term, with a placenta showing lesions of chronic villitis. We should not rely exclusively on an isolated, marked rise in ALP to dictate the approach in the absence of other fetomaternal considerations.