Total protein in the blood is low: what does this mean and what to do?

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Proteins are one of the most complex substances in the body and serve as the basis for the protoplasm of cells. In addition to carbon, oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen, they also contain amino acids. The latter provide the basis for the construction of protein molecules. They play a huge role in the human body and are responsible for the most important functions: respiration, excretion, digestion, movement, defense, provide the body with the necessary energy and replenish cell components. Protein metabolism disorders develop when more or less of it enters the body. Various dangerous diseases can arise from this, so at the slightest suspicion it is necessary to do all tests in a timely manner.

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Treatment

The minimum protein intake for an oncology patient should be at least one and a half grams per kilogram of body weight. For patients with renal failure - no more than 1.2 grams.

Since protein deficiency in a patient with cancer occurs due to inadequate intake or loss of proteins, for example, during the evacuation of water accumulations, it is impossible to reverse the pathological condition by increasing the volume of food.

In case of a loss of 5% of weight with an initial body mass index <20, a decrease in total plasma protein to 60 grams, globulin to 30 grams, and a balanced diet is impossible, it is urgent to start consuming specialized protein mixtures.

If the indicators are even worse or it is not possible to eat by mouth, tube or intravenous nutrition is necessary.

It is necessary to reduce the toxicity of treatment and symptomatic therapy. However, it is impossible to improve the quality of life and speed up the rehabilitation of a patient with cancer without high-quality nutritional support.

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How to recognize protein-energy malnutrition?

If your diet did not contain the Nutrimun protein mixture, or even a hint of proper nutrition, and your body went into revolt, this means that you are still suffering from protein-energy deficiency .

Sometimes a similar condition caused by protein starvation appears sharply and suddenly - then it is called total. In other cases, it gradually weakens your body and enters the chronic stage.

The severity of the disease also varies: sometimes you may not experience any discomfort for a long time while PEM proceeds without manifestations (this is called subclinical form ).

But sometimes protein deficiency bursts into your life with a severe form of cachexia and it is impossible not to notice it: its most common manifestations are swelling, fragility and increased hair loss, severe atrophy of muscle tissue and skin.

On a note

Both forms of protein deficiency are dangerous in their consequences - one way or another, they have a destructive effect on the body and lead to pathologies of organs and systems.
It turns out that in trying to lose weight, we focus our efforts on gaining it!

Protein tests

Albumin is the main protein in blood plasma. Its synthesis occurs in the liver. The main task performed by albumin is to maintain plasma pressure relative to blood volume. At the same time, it delivers various substances and deposits them. Its reduced level indicates pathological processes occurring in the body.

Protein fractions are a comprehensive analysis that allows you to assess the presence of albumin and globulins in the blood plasma. The study is prescribed for kidney and liver pathologies, oncological and systemic diseases, nutritional disorders, as well as chronic and acute inflammatory diseases.

Creatinine is the end product of protein metabolism. Takes part in the energy metabolism of tissues. It is excreted from the body along with urine, so analysis can be used to judge the condition of the kidneys. A high level indicates the presence of kidney failure, dehydration, or a meat diet.

Uric acid is responsible for removing nitrogen from the body. The disruption of its metabolism is directly related to the failure of the kidneys.

Urea is produced in the liver. During its synthesis, ammonia is neutralized. An analysis of urea in the blood can reveal the presence of many dangerous diseases that require urgent treatment, such as: malignant tumors, kidney diseases, burns, leukemia, renal failure, cirrhosis, hepatitis, liver failure.

Total protein is an organic polymer that is made up of amino acids. Its determination in blood plasma makes it possible to judge diseases of the kidneys, liver, malnutrition and cancer.

The thymol test allows you to characterize the functioning of the liver. Increased test results occur in cases where a person has: hepatitis A, malaria, toxic hepatitis, viral infections, cirrhosis of the liver.

During pregnancy, it is very common to have different test results for proteins in the body than normal.

Main causes of hypoproteinemia

Why do total protein levels drop? Its content in the blood can be influenced by physiological factors (individual characteristics and temporary physical changes) and pathological factors associated with serious disturbances of biochemical processes and the presence of diseases.

Non-pathological factors of protein reduction

Physiological hypoproteinemia occurs in the following cases:

• Dehydration (dehydration) of the body caused by prolonged exposure to high temperatures with symptoms of overheating (vomiting, diarrhea);
• Perinatal period. Due to the need to ensure the vital functions of two organisms at once, in pregnant women the volume of blood increases, which becomes less concentrated. The permissible reduction is about 5 to 9 g/l.
• An unbalanced diet, adherence to an incorrect nutrition system (protein-free diets, veganism) and fasting. An insufficient amount of protein supplied from food causes a deficiency of amino acids necessary for the synthesis of its own protein.
• Excessive sports and other physical activity. With increased physical activity, the consumption of all nutrients increases, including the protein component of the blood.

Hypoproteinemia is observed with prolonged immobilization in patients forced to remain in bed.

Dangerous causes of hypoproteinemia

Pathological causes of low protein are due to latent or progressive development of diseases of internal organs, impaired synthesis of biologically active substances, and unfavorable heredity. Pathologies include:

Decreased bilirubin in the blood

• destruction and death of hepatocytes (liver cells), due to cirrhosis, hepatitis, hepatosis.
• water intoxication (overhydration), which occurs due to hypersynthesis of the antidiuretic hormone vasopressin in the nuclei of the hypothalamus (excess vasopressin is dangerous for the development of cerebral edema and coma)
• hypervolemia (increase in circulating blood volume) due to water retention in the vascular bed;
• accumulation of fluid in the pleural cavity of the lungs (exudative pleurisy), in the alveoli (pulmonary edema);
• cachexia (extreme exhaustion of the body), the causes may be aggressive diets, severe infectious and inflammatory diseases, anorexia;
• primary immunodeficiencies (hereditary) and secondary (HIV, AIDS, etc.);
• diabetes mellitus in the stage of subcompensation and decompensation;
• thyroid hormonal imbalance;
• PTH – late toxicosis of pregnancy (preeclampsia);
• oncohematological diseases (malignant lesions of the circulatory and lymphatic systems);
• severe stages of anemia (anemia);
• accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity (ascites) as a complication of chronic liver pathologies, cancers of other organs of the gastrointestinal tract (gastrointestinal tract);
• impaired production of pancreatic enzymes (pancreatic enzyme insufficiency);
• malabsorption and other intestinal pathologies associated with protein malabsorption;
• thermal, chemical, electrical burns of a wide area and depth;
• volumetric bleeding (external, due to trauma or injury, and hemorrhage of internal organs);
• proteinuria (the presence of protein in the urine caused by diseases of the renal system).

Reference! Kidney diseases accompanied by proteinuria: glomerulonephritis - damage to the glomeruli (kidney filtration glomeruli), amyloidosis - extracellular protein deposition in the kidney parenchyma, chronic renal failure (chronic renal failure), nephrotuberculosis, anuria, etc.

If there are no physiological reasons for a decrease in total protein a priori, it means that a disturbance in the composition of the blood is provoked by the presence of a pathological process. Unsatisfactory results of biochemical analysis are the basis for rechecking and conducting advanced diagnostics.

What are the symptoms of protein metabolism disorders?

There are several types of disorders of protein content in the blood plasma: hyperproteinemia means an increase in its amount, and hypoproteinemia means a decrease. Elevated protein content can be either a hereditary or acquired disease. When there is a disturbance in the metabolism of nucleic acids, gout occurs.

Symptoms of protein metabolism disorders:

1. Excess protein intake may manifest itself as:

• constipation or diarrhea;
• food aversions;
• increased protein content in blood plasma;
• intestinal dysbiosis;

1. Low protein intake can manifest itself as two different diseases:

• Kwashiorkor is an unbalanced nutritional deficiency of protein in the human body. Symptoms of the disease include: edema, lethargy, apathy, low body weight, ascites, developmental delay, immunodeficiency, low protein levels in the blood. The prognosis for this disease is unfavorable and very often patients die. Most often it develops in children from 1 to 4 years old. The disease occurs due to a deficiency of one or more nutrients. Contact with an infection (for example, HIV) or poisoning with toxins can further aggravate the situation.
• Nutritional dystrophy is a balanced deficiency. Symptoms of the disease: edema, blood protein levels at the lower limit, low body weight, immunodeficiency, increased levels of ketone bodies. Delayed physical and mental development is not typical for nutritional dystrophy. In contrast to kwashiorkor, dystrophy has the most favorable prognosis for those affected, but there are also fatal cases. It is observed in children under one year of age.

1. An unbalanced diet , in which there is a deficiency of essential amino acids, is characterized by: low body weight, impaired development and growth, poor appetite. If there is insufficient content of any amino acid in the body, the symptoms may be of a specific nature, affecting various organs and provoking the occurrence of diseases.
2. Excessive amino acid content also has a bad effect on the body. It manifests itself in the form of decreased appetite and body weight, disruption of taste buds, as well as nutrition of tissues and organs.

Risk factors

• Low standard of living;
• Vegetarian food;
• Following a mono-diet or fasting for the purpose of losing weight;
• Kidney diseases;
• Diseases of the digestive system;
• Hereditary factor;
• Occupation-related weight deficiency;
• Age 60+.

For children, the following risk factors should be considered:

• Prematurity;
• Intrauterine hyposkia;
• Use of alcoholic beverages and drugs by a pregnant woman.

Ascites in liver cirrhosis

How is protein metabolism disorder treated?

After an accurate diagnosis, treatment is prescribed by a specialist for each patient individually. In the case of nutritional dystrophy, absolute rest must be observed in the first days. There should be no mental or physical stress. The diet should be complete, rich in vitamins and proteins. At the same time, the expansion of the diet occurs gradually so that the body can adapt to the new eating regimen. Protein preparations are administered and anabolic steroid hormones are prescribed. Anti-inflammatory drugs are used for gouty arthritis.

Symptoms

If the protein deficiency is mild, then it does not manifest itself symptomatically, except in cases of hereditary deficiencies of certain amino acids, which are structural components of protein molecules.

External symptoms include:

• Continuous weight loss;
• Brittle nails;
• Brittle, dull and falling hair;
• Edema;
• Dryness, flaking of the skin;
• Weakness.

Nervous system symptoms:

• Migraine;
• Mood swings;
• Lethargy, fatigue;
• Sleep problems;
• Low mental activity.

Symptoms of the musculoskeletal system:

• Muscle weakness;
• Slow growth in children;
• Decreased muscle mass;
• Pain syndrome in muscles and joints.

Digestive organ symptoms:

• Nausea;
• Bloating, pain;
• Increased consumption of sweets;
• Problems with stool;
• Enlarged liver.

How to avoid trouble?

In order to never encounter this problem (and this, unfortunately, is possible), you need to think about its prevention. That is, learn as much useful information as possible about your body and its needs for important nutrients.

Understand why it is necessary to adjust your diet based on your current state of health and metabolism, taking into account all diseases.

And not only rejoice at new knowledge, but also convey it to loved ones, create useful “word of mouth”, which, perhaps, will protect someone from a frivolous attitude to nutrition.

How to overcome protein deficiency?

In fact, you have a great chance of not bringing your health to a critical point: having noticed any deviations in body weight from the norm for no apparent reason or having considered other symptoms in yourself, you must immediately “surrender” to a competent specialist.

Protein-energy deficiency can be overcome by applying two types of treatment. The first will concern getting rid of the symptoms of the disease, which can be extremely dangerous.

The second will make sure that the required amount of not only proteins, but also fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals is returned to your daily diet.

Leading nutritionists recommend using Diso Nutrimun dry mixture as a protein component of a healthy diet for several reasons.

First of all, this product is complete in its amino acid composition. It is easily digestible, and this is important for extensive organ damage. But the most important thing is that it supports the body, helping it recover faster after such a “blow.”