There are many blood proteins and each type serves a particular function. The job may require delivering nutrients to their destination, carrying waste products for elimination, regulating processes, helping the formation of clots or fighting bacteria. There should be a certain amount of each within your bloodstream; having a low or high amount of a specific one can be indicative of infection or disease.
The Blood Proteins
The blood proteins, usually referred to as the plasma proteins, primarily include the clotting factors, protease inhibitors, immunoglobulins, binding proteins and the tissue proteins, as explained in the "Principles of Medical Biochemistry" by Gerhard Meisenberg, Ph.D., of the Department of Biochemistry at Ross University School of Medicine. The clotting factors are needed to form clots to prevent you from excessively bleeding, while the protease inhibitors regulate the protease enzymes that break down proteins. Immunoglobulins are the antibodies that fight infections, the binding proteins carry substances throughout the bloodstream, and the tissue proteins are released from cells when the cells normally break down and when they are destroyed.
The Range of Plasma Proteins
The normal range of total plasma proteins in the bloodstream is 6.0 to 8.0 g/dL, according to Diana Nicoll, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Dean at the University of California in the "Pocket Guide to Diagnostic Tests." Thus, a level higher than 8.0 g/dL is considered to be higher than normal and can possibly be a sign of infection or of a disease in the bone marrow. If your diet is high in protein, it will not cause an abnormally high level of plasma proteins. If the lab results show that your total protein level is high, your physician will order additional tests to determine the cause.
High Amount of Immunoglobulins and Multiple Myeloma
Multiple myeloma is a disease which takes place in the bone marrow that can cause a high plasma protein level. As explained by Cedars-Sinai, it is a cancer where the plasma cells, a type of white blood cells, multiply out of control in the bone marrow and destroy the bone. Plasma cells make immunoglobulins, but because these white blood cells are abnormal in multiple myeloma, they make too many immunoglobulins. In addition, the large numbers of plasma cells do not let the red blood cells develop within the bone marrow; this can cause anemia. The immunoglobulins are also abnormal and they can damage the kidneys.
A High Amount of Tissue Proteins
Aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase are two examples of tissue proteins. Usually just called AST and ALT on the lab report, they are released in high amounts into the bloodstream when there is cell damage, especially damage to the liver cells. A very high level can indicate hepatitis, or inflammation and infection of the liver; the infection may be caused by drugs, toxins or viruses, advises Eldon Shaffer, M.D., Professor of Medicine at the University of Calgary in "The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals." A high level of these blood proteins can also be due to fatty liver disease, cirrhosis of the liver resulting from hepatitis, a gallstone passing through the common bile duct, and even hepatocellular liver cancer.
References
- Cedars-Sinai: Multiple Myeloma Cancer
- "Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2011"; Stephen McPhee, M.D., Maxine Papadakis, M.D.; 2011
- "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine"; Anthony Fauci, M.D., Dennis Kasper, M.D. et al.; 2008
- "Pocket Guide to Diagnostic Tests"; Diana Nicoll, M.D., Ph.D., Stephen McPhee, M.D. et al.; 2007
- "Principles of Medical Biochemistry"; Gerhard Meisenberg, Ph.D., William Simmons, Ph.D.; 1998
- "The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals"; Lab Tests; Eldon Shaffer, M.D.; 2009
