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Serum albumin concentrations: who needs them?
1Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, University of Arizona, Tucson 85721.
The Annals of Pharmacotherapy
|September 1, 1992
Summary
Serum albumin levels are influenced by many factors, affecting their interpretation. Monitoring is most useful for prognosis upon hospital admission or before surgery, with limited value for predicting free drug or hormone levels.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Clinical Medicine
- Medical Diagnostics
Background:
- Serum albumin concentration is a key biomarker influenced by numerous physiological and pathological factors.
- Accurate interpretation of serum albumin levels requires understanding these influencing factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To comprehensively review factors affecting serum albumin concentrations.
- To identify clinical settings where monitoring serum albumin provides actionable information.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of original investigations, review articles, books, and abstracts.
- Selection of studies based on general applicability and clinical relevance.
- Data extraction focused on consistent findings across different assay techniques.
Main Results:
- Serum albumin concentration is affected by various factors, impacting its clinical utility.
- Monitoring is valuable for patient prognosis upon admission or preoperatively.
- Limited utility exists for predicting free fractions of hormones, electrolytes, or drugs.
- Albumin monitoring is most helpful for nutritional support in stable patients over time.
Conclusions:
- Serum albumin measurements should be reserved for situations with clear clinical utility.
- The scope of clinically useful albumin monitoring is restricted to specific patient scenarios.