Hypoalbuminemia: symptoms, causes and treatment

The blood that flows in your body contains various protein substances, each of which has a different function. One such protein is albumin. A body that is deficient in albumin, also known as hypoalbuminemia (hypoalbumin), can have a bad effect on health. What kind of danger was there? The following is the review.

What is hypoalbuminemia?

Before discussing hypoalbuminemia, you should first know what albumin is. Albumin is a protein that makes up most of blood plasma and has a very important function for the body. About 60 percent of blood plasma consists of albumin.

Albumin in the body is produced by the liver (liver). Normal albumin levels in the blood range from 3.5 to 4.5 mg / dL.

When the levels are lower than they should be, the condition is called hypoalbuminemia (albumin deficiency). You will need to undergo treatment to get your albumin levels back to normal.

What causes albumin deficiency?

Hypoalbuminemia or hypoalbumin is one of the most common conditions experienced by hospitalized and crisis sick patients. Quoted from a journal published in the National Center for Biotechnology Information, several causes of hypoalbumin include:

1. Decreased albumin production

Decreased albumin production is a rare cause of hypoalbuminemia. Typically, people with chronic liver disorders experience a significant reduction in albumin levels. This is because albumin is produced in the liver.

2. Nutritional deficiencies

Kwashiorkor, a severe form of protein energy malnutrition, which occurs in infants and children causes decreased albumin levels due to reduced supply of amino acids to the liver. Deficiencies of other nutrients, especially iron and zinc can also cause this condition.

Very low or undetectable albumin characterizes a rare disorder known as analbuminemia. People with this condition can usually survive to adulthood with normal conditions.

3. Increased albumin release

The release of albumin from the body can occur when you have kidney disease. Some kidney diseases that can increase the release of albumin from the body are:

• Nephrotic syndrome characterized by loss of albumin and protein through the kidneys.
• End-stage renal disease is characterized by marked proteinuria and albuminuria, complete with hypoalbuminemia.

4. Intestinal disorders

Enteropathy (disease of the intestine or digestive tract) is characterized by the loss of protein, including albumin, through the gastrointestinal (digestive) tract. This condition causes hypoalbumin.

5. Extravascular loss

The loss of albumin from intravascular (blood vessels) to extravascular (outside the blood vessels) can cause hypoalbumin.

6. Burns

Burns can increase the process of albumin loss from intravascular to extravascular. In addition, this condition can also affect the process of protein formation in the liver which causes a decrease in the amount of albumin.

7. Sepsis

Sepsis can cause capillary leak which will result in loss of albumin from the blood vessels.

8. Heart failure

Hypoalbuminemia often occurs in people with heart failure. This condition is a combination of various factors, including malnutrition, inflammation, and cachexia. The risk of hypoalbumin with heart failure increases in people with advancing age.

A severe complication that can be caused by hypoalbumin is circulatory collapse which can lead to organ failure and other serious complications. This condition is also known as peripheral vascular failure, shock, or peripheral vascular stoppage.

What are the signs and symptoms of albumin deficiency?

Albumin has many important roles in the body, such as maintaining body fluid balance and transporting various important substances and nutrients for the body.

That is why, hypoalbuminemia can cause symptoms in the form of:

1. Ascites

Ascites is a condition where fluid builds up in the abdominal cavity. If you have previously been diagnosed with liver disease, there is a greater risk of developing ascites. If you experience symptoms by seeing abnormal swelling in the abdominal area, you should consult a doctor.

2. Muscle aches

Low albumin levels can have a negative impact on your body muscles. The reason is, low levels of protein in the body will make it easier for you to experience muscle weakness and fatigue, to muscle cramps.

3. Swelling of the body

Hypoalbuminemia can cause a decrease in the body's oncotic pressure. Oncotic pressure itself is the pressure that functions to carry fluid into the circulatory system. The decreased oncotic pressure can cause swelling in all parts of the body or only at certain locations.

People with low albumin usually complain of fatigue, severe weakness, and nutritional deficiencies. People with this condition usually present to the hospital with signs of an underlying disease, such as diarrhea or iron deficiency anemia.

How to deal with low albumin?

Hypoalbuminemia can be detected through a serum albumin test using a blood sample. A diagnosis of albumin deficiency can also be made through a blood test c-reactive protein and urine tests.

After undergoing a series of tests above, if it is true that you have low albumin levels, the doctor will recommend several treatments according to your health condition.

Treatment of this condition depends on the underlying cause, as hypoalbuminemia is the result of several diseases. In general, the treatment options for low albumin problems are albumin transfusion and following a certain diet.

1. Albumin transfusion

The procedure is almost the same as when you do a blood transfusion, which distinguishes only the substances that enter the body. So, actually you don't need any special preparation before doing an albumin transfusion.

Albumin will be put through an IV and the dose will be adjusted to the condition of each patient. The reason is, the dose will depend on the disease and the age of the patient. So, the doctor will customize it for you.

Because it is given intravenously, you may feel a little pain when the needle is inserted into the vein, however, this process generally doesn't last long.

Albumin is made by the factory, just like any other medicine. That is why, there may be some side effects that arise after you do an albumin transfusion, namely:

• Edema or swelling of certain body parts
• Heart palpitations
• Headache
• Feel nauseous
• Shivering
• Fever
• Itchy skin

In some people, albumin transfusions may cause allergies. If you experience this after an albumin transfusion, then don't panic. Immediately report it to the doctor who treats you.

2. Other hypoalbumin treatment

In addition, you can solve your albumin deficiency by doing the following simple things:

• Improve your diet by consuming more protein, such as nuts, eggs, fish, dairy products.
• Avoid / stop drinking alcoholic beverages. Alcohol can lower the levels of protein in the blood which will worsen your condition.
• If you have kidney disease, the right way is to take blood pressure medication that helps reduce the release of albumin through the urine.