A Changed View of Serum Prealbumin in the Elderly: Prealbumin Values Influenced by Concomitant Inflammation

Abstract

Aims:We are currently witnessing changes in views on the evaluation of serum proteins. A decrease may signal not only malnutrition. It may also be an indicator of simultaneously occurring infl ammatory disease. Prealbumin, due to its short half-life, is a suitable indicator of changes in protein-energy balance, but its levels show, as with other serum proteins, a decrease in the case of infl ammation too. The present study aimed to determine the prealbumin values of hospitalized geriatric patients and how they are aff ected by infl ammatory disease.Methods: In 101 patients aged over 80 years, the relationships were compared between prealbumin and C-reactive protein in the whole group and then in the subgroups with normal and increased C-reactive protein.Results: In 67.33 % of hospitalized geriatric patients prealbumin was below the limit of the norm. A statistically highly signifi cant dependence (p < 0.001) was demonstrated between a decrease in prealbumin and an increase in Creactive protein in the whole group. In the subgroup with normal C-reactive protein, no statistically signifi cant decrease in prealbumin was demonstrated, whereas in the subgroup with increased C-reactive protein a signifi cant decrease in prealbumin (p < 0.001 for the whole group, p < 0.01 men, p < 0.05 women) was found.Conclusions: The study demonstrated subnormal mean initial values of prealbumin and a highly statistically significant negative correlation between a decrease in prealbumin and an increase in C-reactive protein in the whole group. We confi rm that in infl ammation there is a statistically signifi cant decrease in serum concentration of prealbumin.

Nutritional markers and prognosis in cardiac cachexia

“…First, there is a reduction of the hepatic protein synthesis that results from anorexia and diminished protein intake [18]. On the other hand, as pre-albumin is a negative acute-phase protein [19], its reduction may reflect the inflammatory activation observed in the cardiac cachexia establishment process. Both these conditions, undernutrition associated with anorexia, and pro-inflammatory activation are hallmarks of cardiac cachexia.…”

Valuable hematological indicators for the diagnosis and severity assessment of Chinese children with community-acquired pneumonia

“…Because PA can eliminate the toxic metabolites released during the process of infection and is gradually consumed; thus, it is a nonspecific host defense substance. Hrnciarikova et al [23] found that the elevation of serum CRP was correlated with the decrease of PA in old people with infections, suggesting that PA has the similar clinical significance with CRP. Shao et al [24] found that the PA levels were decreased in CAP group that infected with different pathogens, whereas PA reduction was more significant in bacterial infection group.…”

Low levels of vitamin C in dialysis patients is associated with decreased prealbumin and increased C-reactive protein

“…It was also reported that inflammation caused low prealbumin level [23,24]. But the relationship between plasma vitamin C and each of inflammatory markers and prealbumin was lacking, hence, we designed this study to pursue the relationship between vitamin C and inflammation.…”