ALBUMIN

ALBUMIN

Albumin is a blood protein, and this test is used to determine early signs of kidney damage in individuals at risk of developing kidney disease. Your liver makes albumin. Albumin carries substances such as hormones, medicines, and enzymes throughout your body.

Albumin’s main function is to regulate the volume of blood in the body by exerting oncotic pressure in blood vessels.

Oncotic pressure (also known as colloid osmotic pressure) is a kind of pressure that proteins use to pull and keep fluid in your blood to prevent it from entering other tissues.

Albumin also helps to move molecules and substances like calcium and medicines around the body. Healthy kidneys filter waste and toxins from the blood and hang on to the healthy components, including proteins such as albumin.

This is a simple blood test so it will only take a few minutes to perform. The normal range is 3.4 to 5.4 g/dL (34 to 54 g/L).