How to raise the protein content in the blood. The total protein in the blood is increased - what does it mean, the reasons for the high concentration

Protein in the blood when performing a biochemical analysis can say a lot about the state of health. In this case, the protein is a collective concept, since there are concepts of total protein, and there are separate fractions. And all these fractions are important for the human body.

Human blood is 54% plasma and 46% formed elements (erythrocyte, platelet, leukocyte cells). Plasma is called the liquid part of the blood containing water, a suspension of proteins, organic non-protein compounds and inorganic salts. Normally, about 6-8% of all plasma is proteins. The most important plasma proteins are albumins, globulin fractions and fibrinogen.

Important. Plasma protein level allows assessing the state of such organs as the liver, kidneys, pancreas, identifying disorders in carbohydrate, lipid or protein metabolism, determining microelement deficiencies, etc.

The total protein consists of albumin, and four globulin fractions (alpha1, alpha2, beta and gamma globulins). The separation of proteins into fractions is based on their mobility during electrophoresis.

Also, proteins in the blood differ in solubility. Albumins are water-soluble proteins; globulins require the presence of salts to dissolve.

Important. The separation of proteins into fractions simplifies diagnosis, since in many diseases dysproteinemias are observed, that is, the concentration of individual proteins in the blood is disturbed.

Almost all proteins (except for immunoglobulins and peptide hormones) are synthesized by liver cells. Plasma cells are responsible for the synthesis of immunoglobulins, and the production of peptide hormones is carried out by the glands of the endocrine system.

Attention. The content of proteins in the blood is normally a constant value and changes with damage to organs that are involved in protein synthesis and metabolism.

Albumin levels can rise with dehydration and blood clotting. An increase in this fraction is observed in diseases of the intestines and liver, as well as in the presence of foci of purulent infection in the body.

Acute-phase proteins (, haptoglobins, fibrinogen, etc.) are the first to react to the presence of an infectious-inflammatory process.

The life span of proteins in the blood ranges from several days to several weeks. Utilization of "aged" proteins occurs in the liver with the help of endocytosis.

The role of protein in the body

Attention. Since proteins are involved in the most important biochemical processes in the human body, their levels are a valuable diagnostic indicator and are used in a biochemical blood test.

Quantitatively, most of the total protein is represented by albumins (transthyretin and albumin). They make up from 50 to 70% of the total protein in the blood.

Transthyretin is prealbumin. This blood protein is responsible for the transport of thyroid hormones: thyroxine and triiodothyronine.

Albumin plays the role of a protein reserve, maintains the colloid-osmotic balance of the blood, is responsible for the binding and transportation of fatty acids (fatty acids), and bile acids, SG (steroid hormones). Albumin also carries inorganic calcium and magnesium ions.

What are globulins for?

Alpha globulins include:

alpha1 - antitrypsin, which acts as an inhibitor of proteolytic enzymes;
thyroxin-binding protein in the blood, binding and transporting thyroid hormone - thyroxine;
retinol-binding protein that carries vitamin A (retinol);
, which is the second coagulation factor;
lipoprotein transporting lipids;
vitamin D-binding blood protein that binds and transports calciferol;
macroglobulin carrying zinc and proteinases;
antithrombin 3, which suppresses the process of blood coagulation;
ceruloplasmin, carrying copper ions;
transcortin, which binds and transports hormones (cortisol and corticosterone).

The fraction of beta-globulin blood proteins will be divided into:

transferrin responsible for the binding and transfer of iron;
hemopexin, transporting gems;
fibrinogen, which is the first factor in blood coagulation;
globulin that carries male and female sex hormones (testosterone and estrogen);
C-reactive protein in the blood (acute phase protein, the first to respond to an acute inflammatory reaction);
Transcobalamin, carrying cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12).

The fraction of total protein in the blood, represented by gamma globulins, includes immunoglobulins:

The total protein in the blood, the norm in men and women should be assessed when:

edema;
systemic autoimmune pathologies accompanied by lesions of the connective tissue (collagenosis);
dehydration, diarrhea, indomitable vomiting;
damage to the kidneys or liver (especially in diseases that violate the protein-synthetic function of the liver - cirrhosis, hepatitis, etc.);
immunodeficiencies;
metabolic disorders;
acute and chronic pancreatitis (during an exacerbation);
therapy with glucocorticosteroids;
malnutrition (especially with diets or prolonged fasting);
impaired absorption in the intestine (malabsorption syndrome);
thermal burns.

Also, the total blood protein should be examined in women during pregnancy, especially when pronounced edema appears.

Preparation for analysis

Protein in the blood should be assessed on an empty stomach, food intake is excluded twelve hours before the test. Drinking tea, coffee, juice and carbonated drinks on the eve of the study is not allowed. In the morning you can drink plain boiled water.

The day before the study, the use of fatty and fried foods is excluded.

Attention! It is undesirable to examine the total protein after performing fluorography, radiography or physiotherapy procedures.

It is advisable to exclude alcohol intake 48 hours before blood sampling. In the morning, before blood sampling, it is advisable not to smoke.

Also, the day before blood sampling, physical activity is excluded.

For reference. The total protein in the blood, the norm in men and women does not differ. However, it must be borne in mind that the rate of protein in the blood of women who are carrying a child (especially in the third month of pregnancy), as well as breastfeeding, is slightly reduced.

total protein in the blood. The norm and what can affect the results of the study

Elevated blood protein can be observed during treatment with androgens, clofibrate, corticotropin, corticosteroids, adrenaline, thyroid hormones, insulin, progesterone.

Protein in the blood may decrease with allopurinol or estrogen therapy.

Falsely elevated protein in the blood can be observed with active physical activity before the study.

When applying an excessively tight tourniquet or active work with the hand, protein in the blood can also be falsely elevated.

Norm by age

The total protein in the blood, the norm in patients over 16 years of age is from 65 to 85 grams per liter.

The total protein norm in children is presented in the table:

Norm by fractions

In some laboratories, the result of the study on fractions can be recorded as a percentage: (study fraction / total protein in the blood) * 100%

Increased protein in the blood - what does it mean

acute and chronic pathologies of an infectious and inflammatory nature;
dehydration, as a result of increased sweating, diarrhea, indomitable vomiting, extensive burn lesions, fluid loss in diabetes insipidus;
peritonitis;
jade;
systemic autoimmune pathologies accompanied by damage to the connective tissue;
tropical diseases;
leprosy;
specific hypergammaglobulinemia;
chronic polyarthritis;
active phase of chronic hepatitis or cirrhotic liver damage;
malignant neoplasms, accompanied by increased synthesis of pathological protein. Such a picture can be observed in multiple myeloma, macroglobulinemia, lymphogranulomatosis, "heavy chain diseases".

An increase in total protein in the blood (hyperproteinemia) should be divided into relative and absolute.

Important. A relative increase in protein is always associated with a violation of the ratio between plasma and blood cells. That is, when, with a decrease in the percentage of water in the plasma, thickening of the blood occurs.

Very important! An absolute increase in total protein is much less common than a relative one and is most often associated with malignant neoplasms.

With an absolute increase, the level of total protein can rise to 120 or more grams per liter.

Absolute increase in total protein

Significant hyperproteinemia can be observed with Waldenström's macroglobulinemia. This disease is one of the varieties of malignant monoclonal gammopathy, manifested by hypersecretion of a viscous and high molecular weight Waldenström protein (a type of immunogdobulin M).

Hyperproduction of proteins in this disease is associated with damage to the lymphocytic and plasma cells of the bone marrow.

With this disease, blood viscosity increases significantly and the risk of thrombosis increases.

Symptoms of the disease are complaints about:

constant weakness,
dizziness,
headache,
weight loss,
swollen lymph nodes,
joint pain,
hearing loss,
the appearance of a reddish tint to the skin,
decreased vision.

The appearance of hemorrhages on the skin, nose and gum bleeding is also characteristic. In some cases, intestinal bleeding is possible.

Lymphogranulomatosis

unexplained weight loss
profuse night sweats,
shortness of breath
obsessive dry cough,
enlargement of all groups of lymph nodes,
constant lethargy and weakness,
subfebrile temperature,
itching of the skin.

Also, with Hodgkin's disease, there is a significant decrease in immunity, frequent viral (usually herpetic), bacterial and fungal infections develop.

heavy chain disease

This general name refers to a group of rare diseases accompanied by increased urinary excretion of heavy immunoglobulin chains of a monoclonal nature. This is due to the fact that all immunoglobulins synthesized in the body are defective - they lack light chains.

Important. The disease belongs to malignant lymphoproliferative neoplasms.

It appears as follows:

hepatolienal symptom (enlarged liver and spleen),
severe diarrhea,
vomiting,
edema,
baldness,
severe pain in the abdomen and joints,
an increase in the size of the lymph nodes,
severe intoxication and exhaustion.

Low protein in the blood. Causes

The total protein in the blood is lowered when:

alimentary hypoproteinemia associated with reduced intake of protein from food. Such a picture can be observed when following a strict diet or fasting;
pancreatitis;
impaired intestinal absorption (enterocolitis, malabsorption syndrome);
conditions after surgical interventions, as well as after injuries or burns;
liver diseases, accompanied by a violation of its protein-synthetic function;
increased, pathological loss of protein, as a result of bleeding, kidney disease with nephrotic syndrome (glomerulonephritis), ascites, diabetes mellitus;
prolonged fever (hyperthermia);
prolonged immobility (forced bed rest, immobilization after injuries);
malignant neoplasms;
heavy physical training, especially with reduced or insufficient protein intake;
thyroid diseases;
immunodeficiencies.

Attention. In women, total protein in the blood is lowered during pregnancy and during breastfeeding.

How to increase protein in the blood

First of all, it is necessary to identify the cause of the change in the analyzes. In the presence of concomitant diseases accompanied by a pathological loss of protein, the underlying pathology is treated.

If protein levels are low due to increased exercise or poor diet, blood protein levels can be restored by normalizing diet and lifestyle.

For reference. You can increase the level of total protein in the blood by increasing the consumption of meat, fish, squid, shrimp, eggs, cottage cheese, cheese, peanuts, dried apricots, mushrooms and soy.

A huge number of different compounds constantly circulate in human blood. These are ions, neutral molecules, active elements in combination with transport molecules, and finally, a large number of various proteins. In total, there are about 5 million varieties of different proteins in the human body, but in everyday routine laboratory practice it is quite enough to study the number and changes of about 200 compounds of this nature. If you remove the liquid part of the blood, or plasma, and evaporate all the water out of it, then the total protein will be about 7% by weight. In the composition of the total protein, the most important components are albumins and globulins.

What does high blood protein mean?

The very first way to assess protein status is a biochemical blood test for total protein. When studying the level of total protein, we are not talking about any specific fraction. And if the protein in the blood is increased or decreased, then we are talking about changes in the quantitative composition of this general mixture.

After all, total protein is nothing more than the total sum of all types of whey proteins, the number of varieties of which reaches hundreds. In the structure of the analysis, there is no difference between albumins and globulins, which means that it is impossible to give detailed information about the types of compounds based on the results of this analysis. However, the concentration of total protein without a detailed division into fractions can tell about some conditions of the body. Why is it so?

Serum proteins maintain oncotic pressure and prevent the penetration of the liquid part of the blood plasma into tissues, preventing edema from developing. Accordingly, proteins keep the volume of blood in the vascular bed. The protein buffer system maintains acid-base balance, participates in clotting factors and fibrinogen in coagulation processes, determining the biochemistry of hemostasis.

Proteins perform numerous transport functions. Without these molecules, it is impossible to transport fatty acids, sex hormones and thyroid hormones, ions such as copper, calcium and iron through the blood. Compounds that are poorly soluble in water, which include certain types of vitamins, also require protein transport systems.

In addition, numerous globulins, which are also part of the total protein, take part in immune reactions, are antibodies and are part of the complement system. The vast majority of these proteins are produced in the liver, and antibodies are synthesized by plasma cells.

Let us dwell on one question: if the protein in the blood is elevated, is it good or bad? As a rule, a decrease in the amount of protein or hypoproteinemia causes concern. For some reason, people without a medical education believe that if there are a lot of red blood cells and protein in the blood, then this is good, because “in general, it’s good when there is a lot of everything.” This is wrong. Hyperproteinemia, that is, a condition when there is an excess of protein in the blood, is no less dangerous than its decrease. Let's consider for what reasons hyperproteinemia, or an increase in total protein in the blood plasma, may occur.

Causes of hyperproteinemia

In the case when there are few plasma proteins, the reasons are more or less clear. The body "falls short" by synthesizing fewer proteins than it needs. The liver may be affected, there may be a lack of immune forces in the body, and plasma cells begin to synthesize less antibodies. It is clear that there will be a shortage of proteins during starvation. And under what conditions will there be an increase in protein in the body, the synthesis of fractions in excess? When does an increased content of protein in the blood occur, going beyond the reference values?

About absolute and relative values

First of all, hyperproteinemia, or increased total plasma protein, can be either relative or absolute. What does it mean? Let us explain the concept of absolute and relative increase or decrease in the amount of something with a simple example. We have a bowl in which peas (protein) float in water (blood). If we add peas, then we can assume that the concentration of peas has increased (true hyperproteinemia). On the other hand, you can drain the water, and as a result it turns out that the concentration of peas has increased again, since there are more peas in the same volume, as in the first case. But in fact, its number has not changed. In the first case, we are talking about an absolute value, and in the second, a relative one.

Physiological and pathological hyperproteinemia

What does relative hyperproteinemia mean? It may not be caused by excess protein synthesis, but by a decrease in the amount of water or blood plasma in which this protein is found. Most often, this is profuse sweating, or pronounced hemoconcentration, or thickening of the blood with a significant loss of fluid. Excessive sweating is a physiological mechanism, and therefore an increase in protein can occur in hot climates, when crossing the desert, and is more common in men. But this will increase not only the concentration of total protein. There will be a change, and the total ratio of formed elements to the liquid part of the blood will increase, since with the loss of water, you can calculate for any of the chemical compounds and for any of the types of blood cells.

As for pathological relative hyperproteinemia, there are many diseases and conditions that lead to severe dehydration. First of all, these are acute intestinal infections and especially cholera.

With cholera, a person can lose tens of liters of water throughout the day, which causes such a pronounced thickening of the blood that it coagulates in the vessels. Also, fluid loss can be significant with uncontrollable vomiting.

High protein occurs in a variety of autoimmune diseases. This is a whole group of pathological conditions in which the body constantly produces antibodies to its own tissues, and they are called autoantibodies. Therefore, during exacerbation of autoimmune processes, in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, Bechterew's disease, systemic scleroderma, the amount of total protein in plasma can significantly increase. If, however, a more thorough examination is carried out, it turns out that the amount of albumins in this patient does not change, and the entire increase in proteins occurs due to an increase in the synthesis of gamma globulins, or specific autoantibodies.

There is a whole group of special malignant diseases in which cells that have undergone regeneration do not form metastases, multiplying uncontrollably, but begin to synthesize abnormal, harmful proteins in very large quantities, which increase the result of the analysis. These proteins are called paraproteins. The most famous example of such a disease is multiple myeloma, which is called paraproteinemia. The second example of such a pathological condition is Waldenström's macroglobulinemia. These pathological proteins can increase the overall rate quite significantly.

In some cases, long-term chronic infections can cause an increase in total blood protein due to the production of normal antibodies that successfully block and bind antigens and microbial toxins.

Sometimes the total plasma protein rises with massive destruction of red blood cells or with. In this case, hemoglobin, most of which is globin, will be released into the blood plasma, and is defined as an increased protein concentration. After all, this analysis is not able to distinguish at what expense the faction managed to “raise” the value of the analysis. But in this case, very quickly with the help of other studies it turns out that hemolysis has occurred.

If we recall that most plasma proteins are produced by the liver, then with some of its diseases, increased production of various protein compounds is possible. This is a process characteristic of specific types of active chronic hepatitis, including autoimmune ones, and is a nonspecific reaction of hepatocytes to the inflammatory process. However, this does not last long, and after inhibition of hepatocyte function, hyperproteinemia can be replaced by its opposite. Such a change indicates the development of liver failure.

A rather rare cause, when an increased protein in the blood is determined, may be a violation of the function of the adrenal cortex, and a disorder of water-salt metabolism. In this case, again, we will talk about relative hypoproteinemia associated with periodic fluid deficiency in the bloodstream.

Do not forget that with some errors, when the patient takes the test after a recent meal, the amount of total protein can be increased. This functional hyperproteinemia can also be caused by the use of certain medications, the use of alcohol, coffee, and fatty foods on the eve of the study.

A general blood test, as a very important laboratory test, helps to determine the values of protein metabolism: the importance of blood plasma proteins in the physiological process of the body is very high.

What does protein do?

maintaining the fluidity and viscosity of the blood;
retention in suspension of all blood components;
determination of the volume of blood in the beds of blood vessels;
regulation of blood pH;
transportation of lipids, pigments, minerals, hormones and other important biological compounds for organs and tissues;
blood clotting.

The protein is involved in immune reactions (opsonin, immunoglobulin, acute phase proteins).

According to the quantitative composition in the blood plasma, the protein is determined by:

normal level (within the framework of physiological changes);
elevated level;
reduced level.

Consequences of high protein

If the level of protein in the blood composition has changed towards an increase, then it is necessary to determine the reasons for this. There are no specific indications for such reasons, but the fact that they reflect pathological processes in the body is a fact. In such cases, it is not necessary to delay visiting a doctor: irreversible changes can occur in the body during this period, leading to serious diseases.

In some cases, a falsely elevated protein level is observed, which occurs as a result of a tourniquet being applied to the veins in the forearm (incorrect sampling). An abrupt change in body position from horizontal to vertical can also increase protein by 10% for about half an hour; active physical activity - about 10%. Therefore, you should behave correctly before taking the tests.

Causes of high protein

An increase in the level of protein in the blood is not often noted, since the causes are serious.

absolute: the amount of plasma proteins increases, but there is no change in blood volume;
relative, due to thickening of the blood.
A relative increase in protein is noted as a result of:
diarrhea and frequent vomiting, which are accompanied by dehydration;
intestinal obstruction, creating obstacles to the absorption of fluid by the body;
cholera (blood viscosity increases);
acute bleeding, which can provoke an increase in protein due to fluid loss.
Reasons for an absolute increase in protein:
malignant tumors that disrupt metabolism and produce proteins;
autoimmune diseases: rheumatoid arthritis, lupus erythematosus and others;
infectious and inflammatory chronic diseases that supply protein of destroyed body tissues to the blood;
sepsis.

Excess protein can cause some medications: corticosteroid and estrogen-containing composition. A blood test is taken in the morning to achieve its full reliability.

Structure of a "typical" peptide compound

Attention! Some medicines lead to an increase or decrease in the level of proteins in the blood. It is necessary to inform the attending physician about this.

Why is protein needed?

The human body consists of 62% water, 16% protein, 16% fat, 6% minerals, about 1% carbohydrates and other nutrients. The most important proteins in the body are globulins and albumin. Albumin is a common peptide. When they talk about, they mean albumin.

Given the many conditions that cause hypoalbuminemia, it is important to keep the amount of peptides at optimal levels. Another important protein in the body, called globulin, is part of the immune system.

Causes of low protein concentration in the blood

A common cause of low levels of peptide compounds in the blood is malnutrition. With insufficient intake of proteins with food, a life-threatening condition occurs - Kwashiorkor. Found in poor regions. However, it is easily cured with a proper eating pattern and a high protein intake.

Kwashiorkor

Important! Often, in women in the first trimester of pregnancy, protein in the blood decreases in a short time. In this case, you do not need to think about how to raise the protein in the blood, because such a condition is considered a physiological norm.

Most proteins, including hormones, enzymes, globulins, are synthesized in the liver. Pathological conditions such as cirrhosis and hepatitis damage the liver and lead to a decrease in the amount of total protein in the blood. This condition leads to edema, ascites and hemorrhage.

Most of the waste is disposed of through the kidneys. They have a glomerular membrane that selectively releases fluid while retaining proteins and electrolytes in the body. In any condition where the membrane is damaged, the body loses the protein through non-selective excretion, resulting in hypoalbuminemia. Kidney diseases include glomerulonephritis and nephrotic syndrome, which presents with swelling. Urinary albumin levels are measured. When the loss of peptides exceeds 30 mg/day, edema develops.

If the body is not able to absorb nutrients, this leads to a lack of proteins. Food passes through the digestive system, but the body cannot break down the enzymes, resulting in a lack of sugar, protein, and fat. One of the diseases that lead to malabsorption is celiac disease.

How to increase protein in the blood?

Muscles and the body need proteins to use energy efficiently. During digestion, the human body breaks down peptide compounds into amino acids. Each hormone that affects human metabolism has a peptide structure. Without protein compounds, the synthesis of hormones is impossible. Hypoalbunemia or hypoglobulinemia is manifested by a certain symptom complex.

cachexia

Symptoms of a low number of peptides in the blood:

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Edema.
Weakness.
depressive states.
Brittleness of nails and hair.
Dryness of the epidermis.

How to increase protein in the body? The body needs about 8 grams of protein per kilogram. Divide your body weight by 2.2 and multiply by 0.8 to calculate the required amount of protein. Eat protein-rich foods such as fish, red meat, chicken, legumes, and nuts.

Avoid alcohol and other substances that cause liver damage and protein deficiency. If there are problems with the liver and kidneys, you need to undergo an examination and take medication.

Some diseases affect the body, leading to protein loss. This is a cancer that uses up the body's nutrients, leading to protein loss and causing cachexia. Hyperthyroidism leads to an accelerated metabolism and low albumin.

Advice! Chemotherapy, surgery, certain drugs are the reasons why the concentration of albumin in the blood decreases rapidly. Before or after the above procedures, you should consult with your doctor.

How to increase protein in the blood with folk remedies?

Often the question arises, how to increase protein in the blood with folk remedies? How to increase the level of protein in the blood depends on age. Adults at home need to dilute the diet table with beef and chicken meat. Increase the number of foods that can raise protein in the blood - eggs, celery or vegetables. Add dairy products to the child, for example: oatmeal or semolina porridge, yogurt or kefir.

Dairy food

Men have a higher daily protein requirement than women. Therefore, they need to consume more meat, other products containing a natural source of peptide compounds.

Hypoalbuminemia is treated with corn kernels. Five tablespoons of grains are poured into 0.5 liters of water, boiled over low heat for 20 minutes. After they become soft, strain the broth and drink from 2 to 7 days. Other foods to raise protein in the blood:

Seaweed.
Broccoli.
Spinach.
Pork.
Rye bread.

Other methods to increase total protein in the blood:

Limiting the intake of drugs, protease inhibitors.
Getting rid of infectious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
Reducing the number of refined foods in the diet.
Reduce consumption of saturated fats, carbonated drinks and fried foods.

Many diseases affect the level of albumin and globulin in human blood. Therefore, in order not to think about how to increase protein, it is necessary to undergo an examination in a timely manner and treat existing disorders.

Indications for a blood test for albumin, norms, reasons for an increase or decrease in the indicator

If a person, when deciphering a general blood test (CBC), has an elevated protein in the blood, then it is imperative to pay attention to this, because this condition often accompanies ongoing inflammation in the body.

Since a high concentration of proteins can be a symptom of various pathologies, people are often lost, not understanding the causes of such a condition.

Therefore, the questions are relevant, what functions do proteins perform in the blood, what is the norm of their concentration, why is there an increased content of protein in the blood, and what does this mean?

There are a lot of protein compounds in the human body. Having modern blood analyzers available, doctors isolate about 30 protein compounds that are of interest for diagnosing and determining a particular pathology.

Most often, the following products of biochemical protein synthesis are isolated:

albumins are the main protein component of blood plasma. It is a water-soluble protein with about sixty amino acids at its core;
globulins. The globulin family consists of globular proteins, the main function of which is the ability to clot blood. They are not as well soluble in water as albumins, but they easily interact with salt compounds;
C-reactive protein. This protein is very important for diagnosing diseases, because an increase in reactive protein in the blood occurs, as a rule, in response to damage to any internal organ or tissue, penetration of an infection of any etiology into the body, helminthic invasion;
hemoglobin. It gives blood its inherent red color, is part of red blood cells, and participates in oxygen metabolism.

If doctors say that the total protein in the blood is elevated, then they usually mean an excess of albumin and globulin content.

The work that proteins do in human blood is enormous.

Below are some of their features:

the necessary maintenance of the blood's ability to clot;
regulation of colloid osmotic pressure of blood plasma. Its decrease leads to urinary retention and edema;
provide the necessary acid-base balance of the body;
carry out transport functions for the delivery of oxygen, fats, minerals, vitamins and hormones to internal organs;
immunoglobulins protect the body from the penetration of foreign harmful microorganisms;
create in the liver a supply of amino acids necessary for a person, which, in case of insufficient consumption of protein products, will be used by the brain, heart and other internal organs;
participate in the activity of the enzymatic system.

Proteins are mainly produced by the liver, so any violation of its functionality immediately affects the amount of proteins in the blood.

Their total concentration directly depends on the pace at which protein metabolism occurs, how quickly albumins and globulins are generated and utilized.

Root Causes of Protein Boost

Depending on age, the amount of protein in the blood of people varies. Thus, a newborn child may have a minimum amount of protein fractions in the blood - from 43 to 69 g / l.

in children under one year of age - from 49 to 72 g / l;
in children from one to four years of age - from 50 to 75 g / l;
from 5 to 7 years - 52-79 g / l;
from 8 to 15 years - 58-80 g / l;
in adults - 65-81 g / l;
in older people from 65 years old - 65-85 g / l.

Based on the equipment used by a particular laboratory, the units of measurement of proteins in the blood can be different, as well as the average normal values.

Therefore, when diagnosing a disease, doctors are guided by significant deviations from the upper and lower limits of protein concentration.

Violation of the normal amount of proteins may depend on the physical condition of a healthy person.

So, the state when the reactive protein in the blood is elevated can be observed with increased cardio training of athletes, their consumption of a large amount of protein food.

In addition, people with cerebrovascular accidents may have high levels of proteins when they rise abruptly from the bed.

However, such physiological factors affect the total concentration of proteins slightly, changing it upwards by a maximum of 10%.

Most often, the situation when a protein is stably elevated in a person’s blood indicates some kind of pathological processes taking place in his body.

Therefore, doctors, issuing a referral for a biochemical study of the amount of protein in the blood, are guided by the following indications:

the presence in a person of an extensive lesion of the skin as a result of injuries or burns;
possible pathological deviations of the activity of the liver and kidneys;
damage to the body by a variety of infectious invasions;
state of pregnancy;
suspicion of malignant neoplasms;
state of anorexia.

Absolute hyperproteinemia is observed when the concentration of proteins increases without a decrease in blood volume.

The reasons for its occurrence may be as follows:

the formation in the body of septic extensive foci as a result of an infectious lesion;
the chronic nature of inflammatory processes, which is characterized by the constant destruction of certain tissues;
cancerous tumors that have their own enhanced protein metabolism;
autoimmune processes, in which the immune system "takes up arms" on healthy cells of the body, considering them alien and harmful, and produces autoantibodies and C-reactive protein.

Relative hyperproteinemia is associated with a decrease in total blood volume.

This condition can be caused by the following factors:

dysentery, cholera and other serious infectious diseases, accompanied by significant dehydration due to indomitable vomiting and diarrhea;
a condition of intestinal obstruction, in which water ceases to be absorbed into the intestinal wall;
profuse blood loss, leading to a decrease in blood volume in the human body.

Long-term treatment with hormonal drugs and insulin, as well as hypovitaminosis of vitamin A, can also lead to thickening of the blood and relative hyperproteinemia.

A course of treatment

Both absolute and relative hyperproteinemia are conditions that are corrected by treatment of the disease that caused them.

Therefore, in the case of an increased content of proteins in the blood, doctors, first of all, pay attention to the general condition of the patient, his medical history, complaints of well-being and prescribe additional examinations in order to make an accurate diagnosis and eliminate the cause of the high concentration of proteins.

If the total protein in the blood is increased, then we can talk about a variety of diseases associated with this phenomenon.

Another thing is when a high concentration of C-reactive protein (CRP) is found in the blood. It is considered an indicator of inflammatory phenomena occurring in the human body, because it is more sensitive to them than the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR).

The most common causes of high levels of C-reactive protein in the blood are:

various allergies, characterized by concomitant inflammatory phenomena;
septic lesion, meningitis, tuberculosis and other severe infections in the acute stage;
diabetes mellitus type II and other disorders of the functioning of the endocrine system;
myocardial infarction as a result of necrosis of cardiac tissue, extensive abdominal operations.

If none of these factors of high CRP has been identified, and its content in the blood is high, then additional examinations are necessary.

Perhaps the doctor will prescribe an MRI of the brain, an ultrasound examination of internal organs, because in this case there is a high probability of malignant neoplasms, which cause such deviations from the normal values of CRP concentration.
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