What is the alpha-fetoprotein test for?
An alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) blood test checks the level of AFP in a pregnant woman’s blood. AFP is a substance made in the liver of an unborn baby (fetus). The amount of AFP in the blood of a pregnant woman can help see whether the baby may have such problems as spina bifida and anencephaly.
What is a high AFP level?
AFP is measured in nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL). An AFP level between 10 ng/mL to 20 ng/mL is normal for adults. An extremely high level of AFP in your blood—greater than 400 ng/mL—could be a sign of liver tumors.
What is a fetoprotein screening?
Alpha-fetoprotein screening is a blood test that checks the level of alpha-fetoprotein in the mothers’ blood during pregnancy. AFP is a protein normally made by the baby’s liver. It is found in the fluid surrounding the baby in the womb (amniotic fluid). AFP goes through the placenta into the mother’s blood.
What causes elevated alpha fetoprotein?
High levels of AFP can be a sign of liver cancer or cancer of the ovaries or testicles, as well as noncancerous liver diseases such as cirrhosis and hepatitis.
What happens if an AFP test is positive?
What does it mean if my AFP PLUS test result is screen positive? A positive AFP PLUS test means that you are in a higher likelihood group for having a baby with a neural tube defect or a chromosome abnormality. However, it does not prove by itself that there is anything wrong with the pregnancy.
What causes high alpha fetoprotein?
What causes elevated alpha-fetoprotein?
What if alpha fetoprotein is high?
How do you lower AFP levels?
Iron reduction therapy significantly reduced the median level of serum AFP from 13 to 7 ng/mL, ALT from 96 to 50 IU/L, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) from 55 to 28 IU/L, and ferritin from 191 to 10 ng/mL ( for each).
What is the normal value of alpha feto protein?
Several assays (tests) for measuring AFP in the blood (serum) are available to laboratories. Generally, normal levels of AFP are below 10 ng/ml. People with various types of acute and chronic liver diseases without documentable liver cancer can have mild or even moderate elevations of AFP, though usually less than 500 ng/ml.
What causes elevated AFP levels?
Liver cells are the main source of AFP found in healthy non-pregnant people. Mild to moderate elevations of AFP blood levels are seen with cirrhosis, viral hepatitis, other causes of chronic liver damage and normal pregnancy.
How long for AFP results?
No special preparation is necessary before an AFP test. A healthcare professional will use a small needle to withdraw blood from a vein, usually in your arm or hand. A laboratory specialist will analyze the sample. Results are typically available within one to two weeks.
How accurate is AFP testing?
“Traditionally, about 5 percent of women who take the AFP test will get a positive result, but more than 90 percent of those will go on to have normal babies.”. When a patient meets with a genetic counselor a family history is plotted to determine if further testing is needed.