What it is
Albumin is a protein made by the liver and measured in blood.[1]
Why it matters
Low albumin may enter liver, kidney, nutrition, infection, and other medical contexts.[1]
Root causes of abnormal values
- Physical core: Albumin changes when the balance between liver production, bloodstream volume, protein loss, and inflammatory or nutrition context changes. A low value can therefore point to a synthetic-function question, a loss/dilution question, or a broader illness context.[1]
- Function layer: Because albumin is made by the liver, it can sit closer to liver synthetic function than ALT or AST. But albumin is also affected by kidney loss, nutrition, infection, and other contexts, so it is not liver-specific by itself.[1]
- Boundary: BioConst can explain albumin as a production/loss/context signal, but it does not identify the cause of a low value or decide liver, kidney, nutrition, infection, or treatment questions for a person.[1]
What it affects
- Albumin is a synthetic-function clue, not a standalone diagnosis.[1]
Interpretation traps
- Albumin can be low for reasons outside liver disease.[1]