Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license.
Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat.
We can research this topic together.
Hypoproteinemia is a condition where there is an abnormally low level of protein in the blood. There are several causes that all result in edema once serum protein levels fall below a certain threshold.
Symptoms
The severity of symptoms can vary, but may include:
fatigue and weakness
recurrent infections
brittle nails and dry skin
thinning and breaking hair
mood changes and irritability
Causes
Nutritional hypoproteinemia is due to severe limitation of protein intake in the diet. An example of nutritional hypoproteinemia is Kwashiorkor, a type of protein energy malnutrition affecting young children.
Malabsorption, often caused by celiac disease or inflammatory bowel disease
Liver disease can also cause hypoproteinemia by decreasing synthesis of plasma proteins like albumin.
Renal disease like nephrotic syndrome can also result in hypoproteinemia because plasma proteins are lost in the urine.
Sepsis (whole body infection) – macrophages activated in the liver and spleen secrete TNF-alpha into the bloodstream resulting in hypoproteinemia.
Pathophysiology
This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (January 2025)
Diagnosis
Hypoproteinemia is often confirmed by testing for serum albumin and total protein levels.
