Is Pre-Albumin an Accurate Marker of Nutritional Status in Acutely Ill Patients?
Kandarp R. Patel, DO, Lin Shu, Richard Gerkin, MD, Rakesh Nanda, MD., *Department of Gastronenterology, Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ and Department of Medicine, Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ.Purpose: Pre-Albumin (PAB), a hepatic protein, is the earliest laboratory indicator of nutritional status and is the preferred marker for “malnutrition” as it correlates with patient outcomes in a wide variety of clinical conditions. PAB is also a negative acute phase protein whose plasma concentration decreases during inflammation. The aim of this study was to determine if PAB is a valid indicator of the nutritional status in patients with acute inflammation.Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all admissions over a 2 year period from 1/1/2004 to 12/1/2005. Patients included in this study were inpatients who had PAB and C Reactive Protein (CRP) drawn on the same day. Admissions to all services, including medical, surgical, and ICU were included in the analysi
