A private Albumin Blood Test assesses how much albumin is circulating in your blood. Albumin is a protein made in the liver that has several key roles in the blood. It helps to keep fluid from leaking out of your blood vessels into other tissues and carries hormones, vitamins, and enzymes around your body.
An Albumin Blood Test evaluates how much albumin is circulating in your blood. This can provide insights into your general health, as well as the functioning of your liver and kidneys, which play a key role in producing and filtering albumin.
If your liver is damaged, your liver may not make enough albumin, while if your kidneys are damaged, they may excrete too much albumin to leave your body in urine
What causes low levels of albumin?
If you have low levels of albumin circulating in your blood, it could indicate that you have:
- Kidney disease – your kidneys act as a filter, and when healthy, they should expel harmful products like urea from your urine and keep useful proteins like albumin. - However, if your kidneys’ filtration system is damaged, they may allow proteins, including albumin, to escape into your urine, which can cause your albumin levels to be low.
- Liver disease – conditions including cirrhosis, hepatitis, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease can all affect liver function and result in low albumin levels.
- Inflammation – any inflammation of the body, be it a wound, burn, cancer, trauma, organ failure, can result in lower albumin levels.
- Conditions affecting the absorption and digestion of proteins – this can include conditions like Crohn’s disease.
- Malnutrition – sometimes low albumin levels can indicate poor dietary intake.
The symptoms of low albumin levels include:
- Swelling of the body
- Swelling around the abdomen
- Fatigue
- Weakness
- Iron deficiency in people with Coeliac disease
If your results show low albumin levels, you will likely be advised to have further tests to help determine the actual cause.
What causes high levels of albumin?
If you have higher than normal levels of circulating albumin in your blood, it could be a result of:
- Dehydration – this could be due to not drinking enough fluids, severe diarrhoea or vomiting, or burns injuries.
- Certain medications – for example, steroids and insulin can both increase circulating albumin levels.
- Infection or an illness – some infections are linked to increased albumin levels.
- High-intensity exercise – the physiological stress of high-intensity exercise can cause a temporary increase in albumin levels.
- The Symptoms of high albumin levels include:
- Foamy urine
- Urinating more frequently than normal
- Puffy eyes
- Swollen feet, ankles, belly or face
If your results show that your albumin levels are higher than expected, your doctor may discuss your symptoms and lifestyle factors with you to help determine the probable cause. For example, they may check that you are drinking enough fluids, what medications you currently take, and whether you have recently been ill or frequently take part in high-intensity exercise. Based on your responses, you may be advised to make changes to help increase your albumin, such as drinking more fluids each day.
