What is albumin?
Albumin is a protein made by the liver. It keeps fluid inside blood vessels, nourishes tissues, and transports substances like hormones, vitamins, drugs, and minerals around your body.
Why test albumin?
There are many reasons to test albumin. Your doctor may test albumin if s/he suspects liver injury or illness. Albumin can indicate if you are dehydrated or malnourished. Testing albumin is an important part of a health check because it helps you discover your risk factors for lifestyle diseases in time to take action. It's also a key part of liver and kidney check-ups, as albumin is crucial for assessing kidney health. Additionally, monitoring albumin levels can help track changes in your blood values as you make lifestyle changes, take supplements, or undergo treatments.
More information
Some drugs can increase serum albumin. These include anabolic steroids, androgens, growth hormones, and insulin. If you are receiving large amounts of intravenous fluids, the results of this test may be inaccurate.
What do the results mean?
Albumin results are evaluated alongside other test results.
What causes low albumin?
Albumin can be low in many different diseases and disorders and may indicate a need for further investigation. A slightly low albumin may be clinically insignificant, although albumin can be low in many different diseases and disorders and may indicate a need for further investigation. Some causes of low albumin include liver or kidney problems, hypothyroidism, inflammation, poor diet, shock and malnutrition as well as conditions that can cause malabsorption and digestion of protein, like low stomach acid, Crohn’s disease, celiac disease and chronic illness. Low albumin can also indicate oxidative stress and an increased need for vitamin C.
Pregnancy and intravenous fluids can also decrease blood albumin levels by increasing the fluid volume inside blood vessels.
Symptoms of low albumin
Low albumin levels can cause various symptoms that may indicate underlying health issues. Common symptoms include swelling, especially in the legs, ankles, and feet due to fluid retention, persistent fatigue, and general muscle weakness. You might also experience fluid buildup in the abdomen (ascites), a poor appetite, unexplained weight loss, and jaundice, which is yellowing of the skin and eyes. Additionally, wounds may take longer to heal. If you notice these symptoms, it's important to consult a doctor for proper diagnosis and treatment.
What causes high albumin?
Albumin can be high in many different diseases and disorders and may indicate a need for further investigation. Slightly high albumin can be associated with dehydration, increasing blood concentration.
Symptoms of high albumin
High albumin levels, known as hyperalbuminemia, are rare and usually do not cause specific symptoms on their own. Instead, they often indicate underlying conditions that need attention. Common causes of high albumin include dehydration, which can cause symptoms like dry mouth, thirst, dark urine, and decreased urine output. Severe or chronic infections may also lead to high albumin, with symptoms like fever, chills, and general malaise. Liver disease is another potential cause, and it can present with jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), fatigue, and abdominal swelling. A high protein intake might be linked to elevated albumin levels, though it typically doesn't cause symptoms. If you suspect high albumin levels or experience related symptoms, seek medical advice for proper evaluation and treatment.
More information
Some drugs can increase serum albumin. These include anabolic steroids, androgens, growth hormones, and insulin. If you are receiving large amounts of intravenous fluids, the results of this test may be inaccurate.
Values that are slightly outside the reference range can be normal. Reference ranges are imperfect and approximately 5% of healthy individuals may have results outside the reference range.
Preparations for your blood test
Avoid fatty foods and alcohol the day before the test.
On the day of the test
Remember to take your ID. with you when going to take a test.