Liver
Albumin
Liver
Main blood protein made by the liver. Low levels indicate liver disease or malnutrition.
VAT-exempt medical service
If your liver had a flagship product, it would be albumin. It's the most plentiful protein in your blood, and it does a lot of heavy lifting -- keeping fluid where it belongs, feeding tissues, and ferrying hormones, vitamins, drugs, and minerals around the body. When albumin drops, it's a sign that something upstream (your liver, kidneys, or nutrition) isn't keeping up.
Albumin is one of those markers that quietly tells you a lot. Liver injury, kidney disease, dehydration, malnutrition -- it catches all of them. It belongs in every comprehensive health panel and is especially valuable when tracked over time. Are your lifestyle changes working? Is that new supplement making a difference? Albumin helps answer those questions before small issues become big ones.
What a high value can mean
High albumin is rare and usually just means you're dehydrated -- the blood gets concentrated. Severe infections can contribute, showing up as fever, chills, and malaise. Some liver conditions can paradoxically push albumin up too. High protein intake might play a role but typically doesn't cause symptoms. Certain medications (anabolic steroids, growth hormones, insulin) can also nudge levels higher.
What a low value can mean
Low albumin is worth paying attention to. Common causes include liver disease, kidney problems, hypothyroidism, chronic inflammation, and malnutrition. Conditions that mess with protein digestion -- low stomach acid, Crohn's, coeliac disease -- can also be behind it. Low albumin may flag oxidative stress and a higher need for vitamin C. Pregnancy and IV fluids can dilute levels too. Watch for swollen legs or ankles, persistent fatigue, muscle weakness, fluid in the abdomen, poor appetite, unexplained weight loss, yellowing skin, and slow wound healing.
Skip the fatty foods and alcohol the day before. Bring valid ID on test day.
Order your test
Choose your test and pay online. Your lab referral is created straight away.
Give your sample
Visit any of our partner sampling locations. No appointment needed at most of them.
The lab analyses it
Your sample is analysed at an accredited Swedish laboratory.
Get your results
Your values appear in your account with reference ranges and an explanation of each marker.
Absolutely. Damaged kidneys can let albumin leak into the urine, which pulls blood levels down. That's why albumin is a key player in both liver and kidney assessments.
It does. A low-protein diet can drag albumin down. So can malabsorption conditions like coeliac disease or Crohn's, which reduce how much protein your body actually absorbs.
Anabolic steroids, growth hormones, and insulin can push albumin up. IV fluids can artificially lower levels by diluting the blood.
A slightly low albumin is common and often reflects inflammation or a recent illness rather than disease of the liver. A markedly low value should be investigated, as it can indicate liver disease, protein loss through the kidneys or gut, or undernutrition.