prealbumin

  I have been "diagnosed" with secretory diarrhea. So far,after three years of treatments, it has NOT been brought under control. I am presently trying octreotide,again, at a dose of 2cc every 8 hours.. Nothing yet after 24hours+.  I am on TPN. Along with the usual cbc and chem profiles constantly done , my doctor tests  my prealbumin. What IS that and what is considered"normal" and when does it spell trouble. Thanks! Donna:)
Dear Donna,
For years, serum proteins have been used as a method of nutritional assessment. Albumin is a protein with a relatively long half life of 20 days. It is still often  used as a marker of nutritional status. Low serum albumin has been correlated with an increased incidence of medical complications and disease severity. An isolated measurement of serum albumin, however, is not a good indicator since it is influenced by a number of disease processess such as inflammatory disorders, heart disease, liver disease, kidney disease and others. Fasting and changes in fluid balance also have an influence on the serum albumin. Furthermore, because of its longer half life and its slow turnover, obtaining serial serum albumins does not reflect a short-term change in nutritional status.
Therefore, other serum proteins have been looked at to use in assessing patients' nutritional status. Pre-albumin is a transport protein for thyroid hormones and is bound to retinol (a vitamin A derivative) in the bloodstream. The turnover rate of this protein is rapid with a half life of 2-3 days. Protein energy malnutrition reduces the levels of pre-albumin and refeeding restores levels. The normal range for serum pre-albumin at Henry Ford Hospital is 16-33 mg/dl. Although pre-albumin is responsive to nutritional changes, it too is a protein that is influenced by a number of disease related factors. Therefore, the clinical use of pre-albumin as an index of nutritional status in patients is limited and often unreliable. I hope you find this information helpful.
This response is being provided for general informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice or consultation. Always check with your personal physician when you have a question pertaining to your health.
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