From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Medical condition
Edema in Hypoproteinemia
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Specialty
| Hematology
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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.
[1]
Symptoms
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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
[2]
Causes
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- 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
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Decreased serum protein reduces the oncotic pressure of the blood, leading to loss of fluid from the intravascular compartment, or the blood vessels, to the interstitial tissues, resulting in edema. This is termed as hypoproteinemia.
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Diagnosis
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Hypoproteinemia is often confirmed by testing for
serum albumin
and total protein levels.
[3]
References
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External links
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