KYJ 63- Albumin
Not to be confused with albumen which is egg white, albumin is the principle protein in plasma.
It is made in the liver, and is a large protein molecule in your blood that has many important functions. It carries hormones, and blood fats, and even binds to many drugs for transport around the body.
Arguably the most important task for albumin is that it acts like a water magnet assisting to maintain blood volume.
Your capillaries have tiny pores in them that leak water from plasma into the interstitial spaces between the blood vessels and cells. As blood pressure increases, this pushes more water out, just like turning up the tap on a lawn soaker hose. Albumin in your vessels exerts a counter pressure called "colloid oncotic pressure" reducing uncontrollable loss.
Being a large protein molecule, and positively charged, albumin is not excreted by the kidneys , but in kidney diseases or inflammation , albumen is excreted and may become depleted in plasma.
Another mechanism of low albumen (hypoalbuminaemia) levels is liver failure where this essential protein is not manufactured.
Irrespective of route cause of hypoalbuminaemia, less albumin equates to less oncotic pressure holding water in the blood. This allows for excessive leakage into the interstitial spaces. Resulting in swelling of ankles (with pitting), gross water weight gain, reduced urine output, and general bloating around the abdomen.
Video of Oedema
The other down side to low albumin is the inability to carry some hormones, fats and drugs that need to plasma protein bound.
Albumin (plasma protein) should not be confused with the closely named albumen, which is Egg white protein. The similarities are very obvious, both words mean "white protein". But our albumin is made in the liver, and albumen comes out of the bum of a chook. Incidentally, it tastes great as a pavlova. Albumen that is.
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