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Serum albumin and nutritional status.
JPEN. Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition
|September 1, 1980
Summary
Serum albumin is not a reliable indicator for individual nutritional status due to low sensitivity and specificity. While useful for large-scale epidemiological surveys, it poorly reflects body composition changes in patients.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Clinical Nutrition
- Body Composition Analysis
Background:
- Serum albumin concentration is a common biomarker for assessing nutritional status.
- The relationship between serum albumin and body composition requires further validation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the accuracy of serum albumin concentration in reflecting individual nutritional status.
- To compare serum albumin levels with body composition parameters in patients.
Main Methods:
- 161 body composition studies were conducted on 102 patients.
- Protein electrophoresis was performed concurrently with body composition analysis.
- Exchangeable potassium to total body water ratio was used to assess body cell mass.
Main Results:
- Serum albumin showed a significant correlation with body cell mass (r = 0.59) but with wide confidence limits.
- 44% of patients with normal body composition had abnormal serum albumin levels.
- Serum albumin did not consistently reflect changes in nutritional status as defined by body composition.
Conclusions:
- Serum albumin is a valid measure for nutritional status in epidemiological surveys.
- Due to low sensitivity and specificity, serum albumin is a poor parameter for individual patient nutritional assessment.