Albumin
Albumin is the main protein your liver makes and pours into your blood, where it keeps fluid inside your vessels and ferries vitamins and hormones around your body. A result inside the range on your report is reassuring. A low result is common and can mean several different things, so your GP reads it together with your other markers to work out the cause.
Standard CareWhat is albumin?
Albumin is a protein that is found in the plasma (the liquid part) of your blood. It is made in the liver — making it one of the most direct measures of the liver's protein-manufacturing capacity. Albumin has two main roles. First, it acts as a structural support for your blood vessels: the albumin molecule is large enough that it creates an osmotic pressure that stops fluid from leaking out of the blood vessels into the surrounding tissues. When albumin falls, this barrier weakens and fluid can accumulate in body cavities — a condition called oedema (fluid swelling in tissues) or ascites (fluid in the abdomen). Second, albumin is a carrier protein — it transports substances including vitamins, hormones, and waste products around your body. Albumin is measured as part of Liver Function Tests (LFTs), and also when investigating kidney disease, nutritional status, and inflammatory conditions — because albumin falls in many different circumstances, not just liver disease. It is also the main protein component of the Total Protein test, typically accounting for about 60 per cent of proteins in the blood.
Why is it tested?
Your GP may check albumin for several reasons. It is part of a standard Liver Function Test panel, where it reflects how well the liver is producing protein. It also helps when looking into fluid retention (swelling in the legs or abdomen), or when assessing nutrition in people with a poor diet or trouble absorbing food. Albumin is useful beyond the liver too. The kidneys can leak albumin into the urine, so it helps in kidney disease. And because albumin behaves as a negative acute-phase protein — its level tends to fall when the body is fighting inflammation or serious illness — it can also be tracked in inflammatory conditions.
Reference range (Australia)
Albumin is not included in the AACB/RCPA Australasian Harmonised Reference Intervals panel; individual laboratories set their own reference intervals for their specific assay. The range printed on your own report is the authoritative figure — do not compare your result against a generic number.
Reference intervals vary between laboratories. Always use the range printed on your own report.
What your result means
A low albumin is non-specific, so on its own it rarely points to one thing, and your GP reads it as a clue rather than a verdict. It can reflect several different conditions. Liver disease is one, because a struggling liver makes less albumin. Kidney disease is another, where albumin leaks into the urine instead of staying in the blood. It can also follow poor nutrition or malabsorption, when too little protein reaches the liver to build albumin, and it falls during significant inflammation or serious illness, as the liver redirects its resources elsewhere. Because there are so many possible causes, your GP reads a low albumin alongside the rest of your liver panel, your kidney results and your symptoms rather than on its own.
An in-range albumin result is generally reassuring — it suggests your liver is producing adequate protein and no significant protein loss or deficiency is apparent. Your GP reads it alongside the rest of the LFT panel.
A high albumin result is uncommon. When it does occur, it is usually a sign of dehydration (a loss of water from the blood, making the albumin more concentrated) rather than overproduction. Your GP will consider your fluid intake and overall clinical picture.
What can affect your result
Albumin moves with how much the liver is making, how much is being lost from the body, and how much it is diluted in the blood. Several things lower it. A struggling liver makes less. Kidney disease can leak it into the urine — particularly nephrotic syndrome, where the kidney filter lets albumin through. Poor protein intake and gut conditions that block absorption (such as coeliac disease or inflammatory bowel disease) leave less protein for the liver to work with. It also drops during major illness, because albumin is a negative acute-phase reactant — it falls when the body mounts an inflammatory response. A mild fall in pregnancy is normal too. By contrast, dehydration can raise albumin simply by concentrating the blood. Some medications affect the level as well, so your GP will take your medication list into account when reading your result.
When to act
If your albumin is low, your GP will read it in the context of the full picture — particularly your other LFT markers, kidney function results, any nutritional history, and whether you have had a recent illness or infection. Because low albumin is non-specific, the aim is to understand the cause rather than to act on the albumin figure alone. A low albumin alongside other abnormal liver markers is a signal your GP will want to look into further. Low albumin with signs of kidney disease points in a different direction. Either way, it is a result to bring to your next appointment so the full picture can be pieced together. This page is general information and is not a substitute for advice from your GP.
Frequently asked questions
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