1. Prealbumin, also known as transthyretin, was first discovered in 1942 as an acute negative phase response protein and nonspecific host defense substance that was previously used clinically to assess inflammatory responses, hepatic impairment, and malnutrition. In recent years, numerous studies have revealed a close association between prealbumin and many cardiovascular diseases, and it has shown specific value in assessing the severity and prognosis of heart failure and coronary artery disease, and can be used as a practical and easily accessible indicator to guide the clinical process in cardiology.
2. Serum prealbumin is important for the diagnosis of substantial clinical liver damage. The serum pre-albumin is one of the fast-transporting proteins produced by hepatocytes, with a daily catabolic rate of 33.1%-39.5% and a half-life of only 1.9 days, so this indicator reflects minor changes in hepatic synthesis and catabolic metabolism, and the magnitude of the decrease in serum concentration correlates closely with the extent of hepatic parenchymal damage.
3. Prealbumin, an acute chronotropic protein, is involved in the pathology of many diseases through inflammatory response mechanisms. In cardiac disease, it can indicate the degree of myocardial remodeling and cardiac contractile dysfunction in patients with heart failure, and combined with c-reactive protein testing can improve the sensitivity and specificity of adverse prognosis in patients with acute and chronic heart failure.