Diagnosis is a test performed after symptoms begin. For example, if you have signs of potential liver disease, such as jaundice or fatigue, or if you have symptoms of possible kidney disease, such as abnormal urination or unexplained swelling (especially in your feet and legs), your doctor may recommend an albumin blood test .
Screening is a form of testing that aims to detect health conditions before symptoms appear. This is not usually done by measuring albumin alone.
However, albumin can be included in a comprehensive metabolic or liver panel along with other measurements, which can be administered during a routine physical examination as a form of screening.
Monitoring includes tests to see how your condition is progressing or responding to treatment. Follow-up blood albumin tests can provide information about the severity of the disease and how the condition changes over time.
What does the
test measure?
This test measures the amount of total albumin in the blood.
Albumin's biological function is to prevent fluid from leaking out of the blood vessels and to transport substances such as hormones, enzymes, and vitamins into the body.
If the
panel test contains albumin, another measurement is performed using the same blood sample.
When should I get an albumin test?
An albumin blood test may be ordered if you have symptoms that may be caused by a liver or kidney problem. Albumin levels alone cannot diagnose this type of condition, but they can provide important information to help doctors diagnose the problem.
Albumin alone is not usually recommended unless there are signs of liver or kidney problems. However, albumin measurements may be included in panel tests that can be used for health screenings. In these tests, as in the comprehensive metabolic panel, albumin levels can be interpreted in relation to other measurements.
Interpreting test results
Albumin levels are reported on the test report. Albumin is measured in grams per deciliter of blood (g/dL).
If different measurements were taken in the panel test, you will see a separate row for each of these measurements in the test report.
A typical reference range for normal albumin levels is 3.5 to 5.5 g/dL. Reference ranges can vary from lab to lab, so it is important to carefully review the test report to see if a different range is listed.
Albumin levels above or below the reference range may reflect an underlying health concern. Low levels can be caused by conditions that affect the liver’s normal function and ability to synthesize albumin or excessive loss of albumin through the kidneys.
Albumin persists in the blood for several weeks, so recent, short-term liver health issues that decrease albumin production may not be detected. Decreased albumin levels are more frequently associated with chronic conditions affecting the liver, like cirrhosis.
Although albumin is produced in the liver, abnormally low levels can also be tied to kidney conditions, malnutrition, inflammation, infection, thyroid disease, and gastrointestinal problems.
Abnormally high albumin levels are most often due to dehydration, which can be caused by other conditions such as severe diarrhea.
Doctors often interpret albumin values along with measurements of other metabolic and liver and kidney parameters. Observing which measurements are normal and which ones are abnormal can help identify patterns in the results that can reveal the most likely cause of a test result.
Your health care provider will be in the best position to explain your test results, what they mean for your health, and to determine if other tests are suitable for follow-up.
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