Albumin
Note: this site is for informational purposes only. To view test results or book a test, use the NHS app in England or contact your GP.
The albumin test is a blood test in which a sample is drawn from a vein to measure the level of the protein albumin in the bloodstream. It is used to assess nutritional status and liver and kidney function, as abnormal albumin levels can indicate conditions such as liver disease, kidney disease or malnutrition.
Why get tested?
To screen for liver or kidney disease especially in hospitalised patients
When to get tested?
If your doctor thinks you have symptoms of liver or kidney disease or prior to a planned surgery
Sample required?
A blood sample is usually taken by a needle from a vein in the arm
Test preparation needed?
No test preparation is needed
Common questions
Albumin testing is used in a variety of conditions to help diagnose disease, to monitor changes in health status with treatment or with disease progression, and as a screen that may serve as an indicator for other kinds of testing.
A doctor requests a blood albumin test (usually along with several other tests) if a person seems to have symptoms of liver or kidney disease.
Doctors may also request a blood albumin test when someone has an infection or inflammation as its concentration may provide a marker of the severity of the condition.
Low albumin concentrations in the blood can suggest liver disease. Liver function tests are requested to help determine which type of liver disease.
Low albumin concentrations in the blood can reflect diseases in which the kidneys cannot prevent albumin from leaking from the blood into the urine and being lost. In this case, the amount of albumin (or protein) in the urine also may be measured along with creatinine. This test is called a microalbumin test or urine albumin creatinine ratio test.
Low albumin concentrations in the blood can also be seen in severe inflammation or shock.
Low albumin concentrations in the blood may also suggest conditions in which your body does not properly absorb and digest protein such as Crohn’s disease or in which large volumes of protein are lost from the intestine.
High albumin concentrations in the blood usually reflect dehydration.
Certain drugs increase albumin in your blood, including anabolic steroids, androgens, growth hormones, and insulin.
If you are receiving large amounts of intravenous fluids, the results of this test may be inaccurate.
Albumin concentrations can also be measured in the urine. Urine albumin can be mildly increased in inflammation and are significantly increased in people with nephrotic syndrome.
Individuals who have chronic liver disease and kidney disorders are at highest risk for developing abnormal albumin concentrations in the bloodstream. In addition, individuals who have an inflammatory condition of any sort or who have prolonged diarrhoea can develop abnormal albumin concentrations.
Albumin testing is more often used to test for liver or kidney disease or to provide information on the severity of an inflammatory disorder. The prealbumin test measures a related protein that in part reflects your nutritional status and it can be useful to measure serum concentrations in individuals receiving nutritional support. The blood prealbumin level falls in response to malnutrition, making it of some value in detecting changes in nutritional status but like albumin its blood level also falls in individuals who have liver disease or inflammatory disorders. The microalbumin test seeks to measure very small levels of albumin in your urine as ani indication of your risk for developing kidney disease.