Clinical and Interpretive

Prealbumin is useful in assessing nutritional status, especially in monitoring the response to nutritional support in the acutely ill patient. Prealbumin is synthesized in the liver and acts as a binding protein for thyroxine and retinol-binding protein.

The serum concentration of prealbumin reflects the synthesis capacity of the liver and is markedly diminished in malnutrition and other conditions.

Due to its short half-life of approximately 2 days, prealbumin can be used for monitoring the nutritional status and efficacy of parenteral nutrition. Values of 0 to 5 mg/dL, 5 to 10 mg/dL, and 10 to 15 mg/dL indicate severe, moderate, and mild protein depletion.