Other names: ALBUMIN,SERUM
Optimal Result:
3.8 - 4.8 g/dL,
or
38 - 48 g/L.
What is a serum Albumin test?
You need a proper balance of albumin to keep fluid from leaking out of blood vessels (= oncotic pressure). It also carries vital nutrients and hormones. Albumin also gives your body the proteins it needs to keep growing and repairing tissue.
A serum albumin test is a simple blood test that measures the amount of albumin in your blood. Having surgery, getting burned, or having an open wound raises your chances of having a low albumin level.
What Is Albumin?
Albumin is the most common protein found in the blood. It represents half (~50%) of the total protein content (reference range: 3.8 g/dL to 4.8 g/dL) of plasma in healthy human patients.
Albumin is synthesized (= produced) by liver hepatocytes (= the major cells in the liver). Very little albumin is stored in the liver, and most of it gets rapidly excreted into the bloodstream.
Albumin has two main functions:
1. Maintenance (modulation) of appropriate oncotic pressure in the vascular system.
Albumin is responsible for much of the colloidal osmotic pressure of the blood, and hence is a very important factor in regulating the exchange of water between the plasma and the interstitial compartment, which is the space between the cells. Due to the hydrostatic pressure, water is forced through the walls of the capillaries in the tissue space. This flow of water is continuous until the osmotic pull of protein, in this case albumin molecules, causes it to stop. An abnormal deficiency of albumin can lead to water passing from the bloodstream into the tissues (edema).
2. Transporter of endogenous and exogenous (i.e. drugs) ligands.
Albumin serves as a transport protein carrying large organic anions, those such as fatty acids, hormones (cortisol and thyroxine when their specific binding globulins are saturated), bilirubin and many drugs. Severe liver disease can result in hypoalbuminemia (hypo = below, beneath), which leads to fewer available binding sites for exogenous drugs. This results in larger amounts of unbound exogenous drugs, which can lead to increased drug sensitivity. This sensitivity manifests when patients have serum albumin concentrations lower than 2.5 g/dL.
Normal range for Albumin levels:
→ The normal range is 3.8 - 4.8 g/dL (38 to 48 g/L).
Normal value ranges may vary slightly among different laboratories. Some labs use different measurements or test different samples.
References:
Yuwen P, Chen W, Lv H, Feng C, Li Y, Zhang T, Hu P, Guo J, Tian Y, Liu L, Sun J, Zhang Y. Albumin and surgical site infection risk in orthopaedics: a meta-analysis. BMC Surg. 2017 Jan 16;17(1):7. doi: 10.1186/s12893-016-0186-6. PMID: 28093079; PMCID: PMC5238522.
Anderson CF, Wochos DN. The utility of serum albumin values in the nutritional assessment of hospitalized patients. Mayo Clin Proc. 1982 Mar;57(3):181-4. PMID: 6801397.
Shapiro M, Rhodes JB, Beyer PL. Malnutrition. Recognition and correction by enteral nutrition. J Kans Med Soc. 1983 Jun;84(6):341-5, 356. PMID: 6409975.
Martin Kroll, Tietz Textbook of Clinical Chemistry, Third Edition. Carl A. Burtis and Edward R. Ashwood, eds. Philadelphia, PA: WB Saunders, 1998, 1917 pp., ISBN 0-7216-5610-2., Clinical Chemistry, Volume 45, Issue 6, 1 June 1999, Pages 913–914, https://doi.org/10.1093/clinchem/45.6.913
Moman RN, Gupta N, Varacallo M. Physiology, Albumin. [Updated 2022 Dec 26]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK459198/
- Higher than normal albumin levels may be a sign of dehydration, which may be caused by severe diarrhea or other conditions. Also look for increase in hemoglobin, hematocrit.
- Higher albumin levels may be caused by acute infections, burns, and stress from surgery or a heart attack.
- Certain medicines can raise your albumin levels. These include insulin, steroids, and hormones.
Additional notes:
- If your albumin levels are not in the normal range, it doesn't always mean you have a medical condition that needs treatment. Certain medicines, including steroids, insulin, and hormones, can increase albumin levels.
- Many things may affect your lab test results. These include the method each lab uses to do the test. Even if your test results are different from the normal value, you may not have a problem.
Import lab results from multiple providers, track changes over time, customize your reference ranges, and get clear explanations for each result. Everything is stored securely, exportable in one organized file, and shareable with your doctor—or anyone you choose.
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Conditions associated with low levels of albumin are as follows:
- Ascites (= a buildup of fluid in your abdomen. It often occurs as a result of cirrhosis, a liver disease.)
- Burns
- Glomerulonephritis (= inflammation and damage to the filtering part of the kidneys (glomerulus)).
- Liver disease (hepatitis or cirrhosis)
- Malabsorption syndromes (eg, Crohn disease, celiac disease, or Whipple disease)
- Malnutrition
Low albumin is found with use of I.V. fluids, rapid hydration, overhydration; cirrhosis, other liver disease, including chronic alcoholism; in pregnancy and with oral contraceptive use; many chronic diseases including the nephrotic syndromes, neoplasia, protein-losing enteropathies (including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis), peptic ulcer, thyroid disease, burns, severe skin disease, prolonged immobilization, heart failure, chronic inflammatory diseases such as the collagen diseases and other chronic catabolic states.
In the absence of I.V. fluid therapy and in patients without liver or renal disease, low albumin may be regarded as an indication of inadequate body protein reserves. It is described as the most common nutrition-related abnormality in patients with infection.
Serum albumin has a half-life of about 18 to 20 days. Its half-life is decreased in patients with catabolic states: infection and with protein loss through the kidneys (eg, nephrosis), gastrointestinal tract, and skin (eg, burns). Its prognostic application is most useful in patients with weight loss, anorexia, stress, surgical therapy, hemorrhage, and infection.
→ Total iron binding capacity (= TIBC) <240 μg/dL1 and/or low transferrin levels would support an impression of inadequate protein reserves.
→ Absolute lymphocyte counts <1500/mm3 may also be seen with protein malnutrition.
In severe malnutrition, albumin has been reported as <2.5 g/dL, total lymphocytes as <800/mm3 and TIBC as <150 μg/dL.
- Albumin levels ≤2.0−2.5 g/dL may be the cause of edema (eg, nephrotic syndrome, protein-losing enteropathies).
- Albumin, prealbumin, and transferrin are regarded as “negative” acute phase reactants (ie, these proteins decrease with acute inflammatory/infectious processes).
- Low albumin values are associated with longer hospital stay.
- A low albumin level in patients with hepatitis C can be a sign of cirrhosis (advanced liver disease). Albumin levels can go up and down slightly. Very low albumin levels can cause symptoms of edema, or fluid accumulation, in the abdomen (called ascites) or in the leg (called edema).
- A low albumin level can also come from kidney disease, malnutrition, or acute illness.
- A low albumin level causing fluid overload is often treated with diuretic medications, or "water pills."
Potential treatment options:
The best option for treating hypoalbuminemia is to address the underlying cause. So people may need to have a variety of tests to determine why there is not enough albumin in their blood.
Treatment may include:
- blood pressure medication for people with kidney disease or heart failure
- lifestyle changes, particularly avoiding alcohol in people with liver disease
- medications to manage chronic gastrointestinal disease or reduce inflammation in the body
- medications, such as antibiotics, if a person has hypoalbuminemia after a severe burn
- dietary changes to reduce the severity of heart or kidney disease
→ Critically ill patients may require intravenous albumin to raise their levels. It is currently unclear how intravenous administration may benefit other patients.
→ People experiencing hypoalbuminemia due to organ failure may need an organ transplant. People with kidney disease may need dialysis as they await a kidney transplant.
→ People with hypoalbuminemia may need to be hospitalized and monitored until the condition is corrected.
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Import Lab Results from Any Source
Easily upload lab results from any provider, whether it's a hospital, independent lab, or home testing service. We support PDFs, scanned documents, and JPEGs from patient portals. No need to log in to multiple platforms — everything is centralized in one secure space.
Easily upload lab results from any provider — we support PDFs, scans, and images. Keep all your reports organized in one secure place.
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Every lab result is automatically organized on a chronological timeline, giving you a complete picture of your health journey. Whether you're tracking a condition, managing treatments, or staying proactive, the timeline helps you and your doctor understand how things progress over time.
Every lab result is automatically organized on a chronological timeline, giving you a complete picture of your health journey.
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Whether it's a blood test, GI panel, urinalysis, or something else, lab reports measure numerous biomarkers that reveal what's happening inside your body. Our extensive database covers over 10,000 biomarkers, providing clear, simple explanations of what each result means and how you can take action—no matter your membership level. Say goodbye to confusion and get the insights you need to better understand your health.
Our database covers over 10,000 biomarkers with clear, simple explanations—so you can finally understand your results and what to do next.
Enter Your Lab Reports Yourself — Always Free
Enter Your Lab Reports — Always Free
If you'd like to handle inputting your health data into your account, you can do so with our easy-to-use data entry forms. Our user-friendly form is designed to guide you through the quick and easy submission process, making it simple to keep track of your health metrics. This is available to both Complete plan and Unlimited plan members.
Our user-friendly form guides you through a quick, simple submission process, making it easy to enter your health metrics.
Add your results anytime with our easy entry form. It's quick, guided, and helps you stay organized — free for all members.
Visualize Your Results
View your lab data through easy-to-read graphs and tables. Quickly spot patterns, track changes, and compare results across different dates — all without digging through multiple reports. You can also select and compare graphs of specific biomarkers side-by-side to better understand how they relate and change over time.
See your lab reports in clear graphs and tables. Spot patterns, track changes, and compare results over time — all in one place.
Export Your Complete Lab History in a Single File
Export Your Complete Lab History
After collecting lab results from different providers, you can download your entire history combined into a single file. Choose from PDF, Excel, or CSV formats to easily review, share, or get a second opinion—no more juggling multiple reports.
After collecting lab results from different providers, you can download your entire history combined into a single file.
Comprehensive Data Entry Service for Your Reports
Data Entry Service for Your Reports
Our inclusive service handles the data entry for your lab reports. Just submit your information and we'll take care of the rest. Complete plan members receive one report entered for free, then $15 per report after that. Unlimited plan members receive ten report entries for free, then $15 per report after that.
Our inclusive service handles the data entry for your lab reports. Just submit your information and we'll take care of the rest.
Securely Share With Anyone You Trust
Whether you're working with a doctor, nutritionist, caregiver, or wellness coach, you can securely share your complete lab history by sending an invite link to anyone you trust. You have full control over who sees your information and for how long, ensuring your privacy and peace of mind at every step.
Share your full lab history with your doctor, nutritionist, or coach using a secure invite link.
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I have been using Healthmatters.io since 2021. I travel all over the world and use different doctors and health facilities. This site has allowed me to consolidate all my various test results over 14 years in one place. And every doctor that I show this to has been impressed. Because with any health professional I talk to, I can pull up historical results in seconds. It is invaluable. Even going back to the same doctor, they usually do not have the historical results from their facility in a graph format. That has been very helpful.
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As a PRO member and medical practitioner, Healthmatters.io has been an invaluable tool for tracking my clients' data. The layout is intuitive, making it easy to monitor trends and spot patterns over time. The ability to customize reports and charts helps me present information clearly to my clients, improving communication and outcomes. It's streamlined my workflow, saving me time and providing insights at a glance. Highly recommended for any practitioner looking for a comprehensive and user-friendly solution to track patient labs!
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Healthmatters is a personal health dashboard that helps you organize and understand your lab results. It collects and displays your medical test data from any lab in one secure, easy-to-use platform.
With a Healthmatters account, you can:
Professionals can also analyze client data more efficiently and save time managing lab reports.
Healthmatters.io personal account provides in-depth research on 4000+ biomarkers, including information and suggestions for test panels such as, but not limited to:
You can combine all test reports inside your Healthmatters account and keep them in one place. It gives you an excellent overview of all your health data. Once you retest, you can add new results and compare them.
If you are still determining whether Healthmatters support your lab results, the rule is that if you can test it, you can upload it to Healthmatters.
While we work with many popular labs, we welcome reports from lots of other places too.
It's as simple as this: if you can get a test done, you can upload it to Healthmatters and we can interpret results from any lab out there. If laboratories can analyze it, we can interpret it.
If you're on the hunt for a specific biomarker, contact us and we'll add it to our database. Anything from blood, urine, saliva, or stool can be uploaded, understood, and tracked with your Healthmatters account.
The Complete Plan ($15/month) is perfect for individuals who want ongoing access to their health data. It includes unlimited lab imports, visual tracking, custom ranges, result explanations, full account exports, and secure sharing — all with a simple monthly subscription. You can cancel anytime and restart your plan whenever you're ready — your data will still be there waiting for you. You can also upgrade to the Unlimited Plan at any time, with the cost prorated based on what you've already paid.
The Unlimited Plan ($250 one-time) is also designed for individuals but offers lifetime access with no ongoing subscription. You'll get all the same features as the Complete Plan, plus a larger initial data entry allowance (10 reports), making it a great choice if you prefer a one-time payment and long-term use without monthly fees.
In short:
There are two ways to add your test reports to your Healthmatters account. One option is to input the data using the data entry forms. The other method is to utilize our "Data entry service."
Our data entry forms offer an easy, fast, and free way for you to input the reports yourself. Self-entry allows you to add an unlimited number of reports at no cost. We make the self-entry process user-friendly, providing dozens of templates that pre-populate the most popular laboratory panels and offering instant feedback on entered values.
For those who prefer assistance, we offer a "Data entry service" to help you input your data. Simply attach an image or file of your lab test results, and a qualified team member from our data entry team will add the results for you.
We support various file types, including PDFs, JPGs, or Excel. This service is particularly useful if you have many reports to upload or if you're too busy to handle the data entry yourself.
Our Data Entry Service is for when you don't want to manually type in your lab results yourself. You simply upload your report (PDF, image, or screenshot), and our trained team enters the information into your Healthmatters account for you — accurately and neatly organized, ready to view in graphs, tables, and timelines.
The $15 per report covers the time and care it takes for a real person to review your file, make sure each result is entered correctly, and double-check for accuracy. This ensures your health data is precise and easy to work with — without you having to spend the time doing it yourself.
Prefer to do it yourself? You can always use our free self-entry tool to add results manually — it just takes a bit more time and attention.
For users on the Complete monthly plan, the first report is entered free of charge, and each additional report incurs a fee of $15.
Unlimited account holders enjoy the entry of ten reports without charge. Subsequent reports are subject to a $15 fee per report.
Additionally, users on the Complete plan can upgrade to a yearly subscription from the account settings. The annual subscription includes a data entry service for five reports.
All professional accounts allow you to import and onboard an unlimited number of clients and their lab results. The distinction between professional plans lies solely in the data entry service.
The Pro Monthly Plus plan is priced at $75 per month and includes a data entry service for five reports each month. Additional reports can be self-entered at no extra cost or, if preferred, you can use our data entry service for an additional fee of $15 per report.
The Pro Monthly plan is priced at $45 per month and does not include a data entry service. Self-entry is free for an unlimited number of reports, and you can opt for the data entry service at a fee of $15 per report.
You also have the option to upgrade to higher monthly or to annual plans, which come with substantial discounts. All upgrades can be done directly from your account.
Simply log in and navigate to your account settings to cancel your subscription. Scroll down to locate the 'Cancel' button at the bottom of the page. Ensure you cancel at least one day before the renewal date to prevent any charges. Once cancellation is requested, the subscription remains active until the conclusion of the current billing cycle.
Our goal has been to make your Healthmatters account as intuitive as possible.
We've crafted multiple ways for you to navigate your data, whether you're glancing at a single report or delving into your historical test reports.
1. Graph View:Dive into a visual journey with our biomarker graphs, showcasing over 40 data points. Combining years of results unveils trends, empowering you to make informed decisions. Our visualization tools make it a breeze to compare and understand changes over time, even if your results are from different labs. A search function and filters simplify the exploration of extensive data, allowing you to focus on what needs attention.
2. All Tests ViewExplore neatly organized reports on a timeline, highlighting crucial details like dates, critical results, and lab/panel names. Each report opens up to reveal in-depth descriptions and additional recommendations for each biomarker. The history of previous results is just a click away, and you can download a comprehensive report for deeper insights. Color-coded and user-friendly, it's designed for easy reading, understanding, and navigation.
3. Table View:For a holistic view of all biomarkers side by side, our table view is your go-to. Results are neatly displayed in a categorized and dated table, ideal for those with an extensive test history. Utilize sorting, filters, and color-coding to enhance your analysis and gain extra insights.
Yes, you can download your information anytime. We offer two easy ways to export your lab data:
This makes it simple to save, back up, or share your health data whenever you need.
Yes, you can print your report. To do so, navigate to "All tests" and open the report you wish to print. You'll find a print button in the right corner of the report. Click on it, and your browser's print window will open. If you prefer to print in a bigger typeface, adjust the scale using the print window settings.
Yes, you can! We highly recommend activating Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for your account. To do so, please navigate to the "Profile and Security" section of your account, where you will find instructions for activating 2FA.
Yes, you can. When entering values for the biomarker, you will see an "Edit Range" button. Click this button, and you'll have the option to enter a custom range.
A personal account is all about keeping your own lab test results in check. It's just for you and your personal use.
The professional account is designed for health professionals who wish to track and organize their clients' laboratory results.
To learn more about Healthmatters Pro, please refer to the professional page.
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