Total Protein
Also written as: TP, serum total protein
The combined amount of albumin and antibody proteins in the blood, reflecting liver, kidney, and immune activity.
What it measures
The combined concentration of all proteins in the liquid part of the blood. The two main groups are albumin, made by the liver, and globulins, which include the antibodies made by the immune system.
Why a doctor orders it
It is a routine part of metabolic and liver panels, giving a broad view of nutrition, liver protein production, kidney protein losses, and immune protein levels. An abnormal total usually prompts a look at the albumin and globulin components separately.
What is generally associated with a higher result
Broadly associated with dehydration, which concentrates all blood proteins, with chronic inflammation or infection, and with conditions in which the immune system produces excess antibody protein.
What is generally associated with a lower result
Broadly associated with liver conditions that reduce protein production, kidney or bowel conditions that lose protein, and poor nutrition or absorption. Dilution from intravenous fluids or overhydration also lowers it, as does normal pregnancy.
Everyday things that move this number
Not every shift in a value reflects disease. These are ordinary factors known to affect this particular measurement:
- Hydration - dehydration raises it, extra fluids dilute it
- Pregnancy, which normally lowers it
- Posture and tourniquet time during the draw, which can concentrate the sample
- Recent infection or illness
- Prolonged bed rest
Questions to take to your appointment
- What were my albumin and globulin levels individually, and what is the ratio between them?
- Could hydration on the day of the draw explain this result?
- If the globulin portion is what changed, is any follow-up protein testing worth discussing?
Build a printable questionnaire with your own results →
Where to read more
MedlinePlus, from the US National Library of Medicine, publishes patient-facing pages on individual lab tests and is a reliable next stop: medlineplus.gov/lab-tests .
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