Hello

Alpha-Fetoprotein (AFP) Test

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. An AFP test can also be done as part of a screening test to find other chromosomal problems, such as Down syndrome (trisomy 21) or Edwards syndrome (trisomy 18). An AFP test can help find an omphalocele, a congenital problem in which some of the baby’s intestines stick out through the belly wall.

Normally, low levels of AFP can be found in the blood of a pregnant woman. No AFP (or only a very low level) is generally found in the blood of healthy men or healthy, nonpregnant women.

The level of AFP in the blood is used in a maternal serum triple or quadruple screening test. Generally done between 15 and 20 weeks, these tests check the levels of three or four substances in a pregnant woman’s blood. The triple screen checks alpha-fetoprotein (AFP),human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), and a type of estrogen(unconjugated estriol, or uE3). The quad screen checks these substances and the level of the hormone inhibin A. The levels of these substances-along with a woman’s age and other factors-help the doctor estimate the chance that the baby may have certain problems or birth defects.

Screening tests are used to see what the chance is that your baby has a certain birth defect. If a screening test is positive, it means that your baby is more likely to have that birth defect and your doctor may want you to have a diagnostic test to make sure.

In men, nonpregnant women, and children, AFP in the blood can mean that certain types of cancer-especially cancer of the testicles, ovaries,stomach, pancreas, or liver-are present. High levels of AFP may also be found in Hodgkin’s disease, lymphoma, brain tumors, and renal cell cancer.

purpose :

Check the developing baby (fetus) of a pregnant woman for brain or spinal problems (called neural tube defects). Such defects occur in about 2 out of every 1,000 pregnancies.¹ The chance of a neural tube defect in a baby is not related to the mother’s age. Most women whose babies have neural tube defects have no family history of these problems.
Check the developing baby (fetus) of a pregnant woman for Down syndrome.
Find certain cancers, especially cancer of the testicles, ovaries, or liver. But up to half of the people with liver cancer do not have high AFP levels.
Check how well treatment for cancer is working.
Check for liver cancer (called hepatoma) in people who have cirrhosis or chronic hepatitis B.

sample :

Whole Blood.

result :

The normal values listed here-called a reference range-are just a guide. These ranges vary from lab to lab, and your lab may have a different range for what’s normal. Your lab report should contain the range your lab uses. Also, normal values vary with the age of the baby. A high or low AFP may mean that the age of the baby has been recorded wrong or not calculated correctly. An ultrasound may be done to check the baby’s age more accurately.

**Alpha-fetoprotein in blood**
Men and nonpregnant women:	0-40 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) ormicrograms per liter (mcg/L)²
Women 15-18 weeks pregnant:	10-150 ng/mL or mcg/L³

In a nonpregnant adult, high alpha-fetoprotein values can mean:
- Cancer of the liver, testicles, or ovaries is present.
- Liver disease, such as cirrhosis or hepatitis, is present.
- Alcohol abuse is present.

Low values

In a pregnant woman, a low level of alpha-fetoprotein can mean:

The age (gestational age) of the baby is wrong.
The baby may have Down syndrome.
In a nonpregnant adult, alpha-fetoprotein is not normally present.

Things that may affect the results of your test include:

If there is more than one baby (fetus). This increases the level of AFP in the blood.
If you have gestational diabetes.
If you smoke. This increases the level of AFP in the blood.
If you had a medical test that used radioactive tracers in the past 2 weeks.