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Causes of high and low albumin
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
Both qualitative and quantitative changes in blood plasma albumins are possible. Qualitative changes in albumins are very rare due to the homogeneous composition of this protein fraction; quantitative changes are manifested by hyper- and hypoalbuminemia.
Reference values (norm) for albumin concentration in the blood are 35-50 g/l (3.5-5 g/dl).
The reasons for the increase and decrease of albumin are due to either external causes or internal factors of the human body.
Both low and high albumin can signal problems in the body. The reasons for the increase and decrease of albumin are determined both by laboratory methods of blood sampling and by other diagnostic methods. Also, the reasons for the increase and decrease of albumin are determined by the doctor with careful collection of information, the history of the disease - anamnesis.
[ What are the possible causes of increased and decreased albumin?
Banal dehydration immediately increases the amount of protein, this is how the protective mechanisms of human physiology work. Blood also thickens with prolonged diarrhea or uncontrollable vomiting. A reduced level of albumin indicates its unforeseen loss or insufficient production. This is a signal of serious illnesses, severe pathologies, which may include liver or blood diseases.
A normal molecule of albumin whey protein must function for at least two decades - twenty days. All this time, albumin stores protein important for the body. If a person begins experiments with fasting, the body will still replenish the need for protein, but not at the expense of food that it does not receive, but at the expense of its own albumin. Thus, the reasons for the increase and decrease of albumin are sometimes associated with unfounded "initiative" in the field of reasonable nutrition. Also, the reasons for the increase and decrease of albumin can be explained by more joyful circumstances, for example, pregnancy. The expectant mother, perhaps without suspecting it, shares "building" material with the fetus, including albumin. The level of whey protein also decreases during another pleasant procedure associated with motherhood - breastfeeding. The reasons for the increase and decrease of albumin are often associated with an unhealthy lifestyle. Any habit that ruins health – smoking, abuse of alcohol-containing liquids – leads to a change in the albumin norm. Heavy smokers can be sure that the level of their vital albumin is significantly lower than normal limits. People who do not spare their liver also cannot boast of a normal level of albumin, because it is in the liver that whey protein is synthesized.
Also, the reasons for the increase and decrease of albumin can be explained by hereditary factors. Genetic failures, heredity can be the reason for the decreased amount of albumin in the blood. In addition, many severe pathologies of the kidneys or liver, including oncological processes significantly change the limits of the albumin norm. Among the reasons can also be lung diseases - pneumonia or flu in severe form. Less than the required amount of albumin in the plasma can also be in cases of anorexia or dystrophy. This condition, or rather a lack of albumin, is usually called hypoalbunemia. A decrease in albumin can be provoked by drugs, especially their long-term use. Azathioprine, phenytoin, dextran, ibuprofen group, isoniazid and others - all these drugs affect the state of the albumin level.
The reasons for the increase and decrease of albumin are determined not only by studying the anamnestic information, but also by means of specific analyses. They are carried out in laboratories using the colorimetric method. The studies are carried out on an empty stomach, any physical activity and load are excluded. This analysis is so specific that even strong compression of the arm with a tourniquet can distort its results. And a prolonged vertical position of the patient can also add about 10% to the obtained indicators. Such an assessment of the properties and general state of protein metabolism can clarify the reasons for the increase and decrease of albumin.
Albumin accounts for approximately 60% of the total protein in the blood serum. Albumins are synthesized in the liver (approximately 15 g/day), their half-life is approximately 17 days. The oncotic pressure of plasma is 65-80% due to albumin. Albumins perform an important function of transporting many biologically active substances, in particular hormones. They are capable of binding to cholesterol and bilirubin. A significant portion of calcium in the blood is also bound to albumin. Albumins are capable of binding to various drugs.
Hyperalbuminemia is observed in dehydration in cases of severe injuries, extensive burns, and cholera.
Hypoalbuminemia can be primary (in newborns due to immaturity of liver cells) and secondary, caused by various pathological conditions (including liver cirrhosis ), similar to those that cause hypoproteinemia. Hemodilution can also play a role in reducing albumin concentration, for example, during pregnancy. A decrease in albumin content below 22-24 g/l is accompanied by the development of pulmonary edema.