The term "total protein" refers to the concentration of globulin and albumin in the blood serum. Such a protein in the blood has a number of functions. He participates in blood coagulation, in immune processes, performs a transport function and so on. In addition, it reflects a particular state of homeostasis, since it is the proteins that give the blood a certain viscosity, fluidity and form its volume in the vascular bed.
These important characteristics are directly related to the work of the cardiovascular system and the metabolic function of the body, which on its work as a whole have a direct effect. Total protein is determined mainly in order to diagnose and treat subsequently various ailments, including diseases of the bone marrow, kidneys and liver, as well as nutritional and metabolic disorders.
Often, protein rises in young children, as well as in pregnant women (often in the third trimester), during prolonged bed rest and during lactation. False-elevated levels are also distinguished. This is observed in cases of prolonged application of a tourniquet to the veins located on the forearm.
Protein concentration in about 30 minutes can increase by about 10% when the body position changes from horizontal to vertical. The same percentage of its increase and with fairly active physical work. Although the concentration level can not only increase, but also decrease.
So, the total protein increases with diseases such as:
dehydration (extensive burns, diarrhea, vomiting in case of intestinal obstruction, cholera);
autoimmune pathology (rheumatism, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus erythematosus, etc.);
chronic and acute infectious diseases;
oncological ailments, in which pathological proteins are produced in excess.
Its level decreases with liver diseases, malabsorption syndrome, increased protein catabolism, insufficient intake directly into the body with food, massive transfusion of blood substitutes.
A similar condition is observed with starvation, pancreatitis, tumors, enterocolitis, the consequences of surgical interventions, injuries, thermal burns, prolonged physical exertion, chronic and acute bleeding, etc.
The total serum protein in each person has a different level of concentration, although there are generally accepted norms. This concentration is mainly affected by the synthesis and decomposition of the two main fractions of the protein - globulin and albumin. Protein molecules, in turn, are divided into globular and fibrillar in shape.
The former have the shape of a lump or ball, the length of which exceeds the diameter of 3 to 10 times, and the latter is elongated. The length of their molecules exceeds a diameter of tens to hundreds of times. The content of not only the protein itself, but also its fractions in the blood is a very important parameter in the diagnosis of a number of diseases.
As a rule, protein synthesis occurs in the reticuloendothelial system and in liver cells. Since blood proteins perform a huge number of vital functions in the body, the total protein in the blood, the norm of which for an adult is from 66 to 87 g / l, is one of the most important laboratory indicators.
Changing this parameter has significant diagnostic value, as it allows not only to determine the state of the kidneys and liver, but also to determine some other indicators, which include an imbalance that occurs at the microelement level, acute inflammatory processes throughout the body and impaired water-salt metabolism.
It should be noted that in some situations, the total protein may have indicators that deviate from the norm, and this is not a pathology. Mainly, such conditions are starvation, pregnancy, lactation and intense physical exertion. Quite often, a deviation is a signal of any disturbances in the body's activity, the assessment of which will help to correctly diagnose and choose effective treatment options.