Hypoalbuminemia is a medical condition where levels of albumin

Human serum albumin

Human serum albumin is the most abundant protein in human blood plasma. It is produced in the liver. Albumin constitutes about half of the blood serum protein...

 in blood serum

Blood serum

In blood, the serum is the component that is neither a blood cell nor a clotting factor; it is the blood plasma with the fibrinogens removed...

 are abnormally low. It is a specific form of hypoproteinemia

Hypoproteinemia

Hypoproteinemia is a condition where there is an abnormally low level of protein in the blood.One common cause is due to excess protein in the urine , which can be a medical sign of nephrotic syndrome....

.

Albumin is a major protein in the human body, making up about 60% of total human plasma

Blood plasma

Blood plasma is the straw-colored liquid component of blood in which the blood cells in whole blood are normally suspended. It makes up about 55% of the total blood volume. It is the intravascular fluid part of extracellular fluid...

 protein by mass. Many hormone

Hormone

A hormone is a chemical released by a cell or a gland in one part of the body that sends out messages that affect cells in other parts of the organism. Only a small amount of hormone is required to alter cell metabolism. In essence, it is a chemical messenger that transports a signal from one...

s, drug

Drug

A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in drug control law, government regulations, medicine, and colloquial usage.In pharmacology, a...

s, and other molecules are mostly bound to albumin in the bloodstream and must be released before becoming biologically active. For example, calcium binds to albumin and hypoalbuminemia leads to an increase in free ionized calcium.

Albumin is synthesized in the liver

Liver

The liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. It has a wide range of functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion...

, and low serum albumin may be indicative of liver failure

Liver failure

Acute liver failure is the appearance of severe complications rapidly after the first signs of liver disease , and indicates that the liver has sustained severe damage . The complications are hepatic encephalopathy and impaired protein synthesis...

 or diseases such as cirrhosis

Cirrhosis

Cirrhosis is a consequence of chronic liver disease characterized by replacement of liver tissue by fibrosis, scar tissue and regenerative nodules , leading to loss of liver function...

 or chronic hepatitis

Hepatitis

Hepatitis is a medical condition defined by the inflammation of the liver and characterized by the presence of inflammatory cells in the tissue of the organ. The name is from the Greek hepar , the root being hepat- , meaning liver, and suffix -itis, meaning "inflammation"...

. Hypoalbuminemia can also present as part of the nephrotic syndrome

Nephrotic syndrome

Nephrotic syndrome is a nonspecific disorder in which the kidneys are damaged, causing them to leak large amounts of protein from the blood into the urine....

, in which protein is lost in the urine

Urine

Urine is a typically sterile liquid by-product of the body that is secreted by the kidneys through a process called urination and excreted through the urethra. Cellular metabolism generates numerous by-products, many rich in nitrogen, that require elimination from the bloodstream...

 due to kidney

Kidney

The kidneys, organs with several functions, serve essential regulatory roles in most animals, including vertebrates and some invertebrates. They are essential in the urinary system and also serve homeostatic functions such as the regulation of electrolytes, maintenance of acid–base balance, and...

 damage. Low albumin levels can be an indicator of chronic malnutrition

Malnutrition

Malnutrition is the condition that results from taking an unbalanced diet in which certain nutrients are lacking, in excess , or in the wrong proportions....

 or protein losing enteropathy

Protein losing enteropathy

Protein losing enteropathy refers to any condition of the gastrointestinal tract that results in a net loss of protein from the body.-Presentation:...

.

Hypoalbuminemia may cause generalized edema

Edema

Edema or oedema ; both words from the Greek , oídēma "swelling"), formerly known as dropsy or hydropsy, is an abnormal accumulation of fluid beneath the skin or in one or more cavities of the body that produces swelling...

 (swelling) via a decrease in oncotic pressure

Oncotic pressure

Oncotic pressure, or colloid osmotic pressure, is a form of osmotic pressure exerted by proteins in blood plasma that usually tends to pull water into the circulatory system.Throughout the body, dissolved compounds have an osmotic pressure...

.

The serum albumin level is part of a standard panel of liver function tests

Liver function tests

Liver function tests , are groups of clinical biochemistry laboratory blood assays designed to give information about the state of a patient's liver. The parameters measured include PT/INR, aPTT, albumin, billirubin and others...

. Levels below 3.5 grams per deciliter are generally considered low

External links

• Treating Hypoalbuminemia In Critically Ill Patients