The severity of low prealbumin needs to be evaluated in conjunction with the degree of decrease in the patient’s laboratory tests, the cause of the disease, and the symptoms. A combination of liver disease and symptoms suggests a more serious condition.
Prealbumin is a protein synthesized in liver tissue and is involved in important life activities. Low prealbumin can be caused by malnutrition or liver disease.
1. If the prealbumin level is mildly lowered due to malnutrition, the condition is mild and can be corrected by dietary supplements of high quality protein, such as milk, sea cucumber, eggs, tofu, fish and other foods.
2. Pre-albumin is the precursor of albumin. If malnutrition leads to a significant decrease in pre-albumin level, combined with edema, abdominal or pleural effusion, the condition is more serious, and albumin can be supplemented by transfusion of blood products.
3. In the case of mild prealbumin reduction due to liver pathology, such as cirrhosis, protein can be supplemented by diet, along with hepatoprotective medications such as glycyrrhizic acid preparations.
4. If severe liver disease causes obvious low prealbumin, edema, pericardial effusion, peritoneal effusion and other serious lesions can occur, requiring blood transfusion products to supplement albumin, the use of diuretics to reduce edema, as well as liver-protecting drugs, should be as early as possible for standardized diagnosis and treatment in the hospital.
The severity of low albumin needs to be judged by a professional physician, not blindly by oneself.