Patient education: Albumin blood test (The Basics)

What is an albumin blood test? — This is a test to check the level of albumin in the blood. Albumin is a protein made in the liver. It helps move important substances through the blood, including certain hormones and vitamins. It also helps keep fluid in the blood from leaking into the body.

Different health problems can affect the blood albumin level. These include:

●Liver problems

●Kidney problems

●Dehydration

●Not getting enough nutrition

●Problems absorbing nutrients from foods

●Certain medicines

An albumin test is often done along with other blood tests to check the liver or kidneys.

Why might I need an albumin blood test? — Your doctor might order this test to:

●Check for liver or kidney problems

●Monitor your health if you already have liver or kidney disease

●Look for the cause of fluid buildup in your body

●Find out if your body is absorbing nutrients from food normally

How do I prepare for an albumin blood test? — For this test, you need to get a "blood draw." Your doctor or nurse will tell you where to go for this.

It might help to wear a short-sleeve shirt to your blood draw appointment. This makes it easier for the person drawing your blood to get to your arm.

What happens during a blood draw? — For the blood draw, a needle is used to take a small amount of blood from your arm (figure 1). Collecting the blood only takes a few minutes. The blood is then tested in a lab.

Tell the person who takes your blood:

●If you take "blood thinner" medicines or if you have a bleeding problem – They will make sure that your bleeding is under control before you leave.

●If you have a latex allergy – Some of the supplies used for blood draws might contain latex.

●If you have a preferred arm to use

Most of the time, getting blood taken does not cause problems. You might have a little soreness or bruising where the needle went in.

What do my results mean? — Your doctor or nurse will tell you when to expect your results, and will contact you with the results. Or if you use an online "patient portal," you might get an alert there when your results are ready.

If your albumin level is too low or too high, your doctor or nurse will talk to you about what to do next. They might need to do more tests to figure out what the cause is.

If you do have a health problem, your doctor will work with you to come up with a plan for treatment.

More on this topic

Patient education: Urine albumin test (The Basics)
Patient education: Cirrhosis (The Basics)
Patient education: Chronic kidney disease (The Basics)
Patient education: Hypovolemia in adults (The Basics)

Patient education: Cirrhosis (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Chronic kidney disease (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: The nephrotic syndrome (Beyond the Basics)