Total Protein
All the proteins in blood serum together (albumin plus globulins) — a broad check of nutrition, liver, and immune status.
Typical reference range
| Range | Unit |
|---|---|
| 64–83 | g/l |
What Total Protein measures
Total protein measures the combined amount of the two main groups of proteins circulating in your blood: albumin and globulins. Albumin helps hold fluid inside blood vessels and carries many substances, while globulins include antibodies and various transport and clotting proteins. It is a general marker that appears on a routine metabolic panel and gives a broad snapshot of nutrition, hydration, and how the liver and kidneys are handling protein.
Because it lumps two very different fractions together, total protein is rarely read on its own. Clinicians interpret it alongside albumin, the albumin-to-globulin ratio, and liver and kidney markers to work out which fraction is driving a result and whether any follow-up is worthwhile.
What a high Total Protein can mean
A high total protein is often less about making too much protein and more about context. One common explanation is dehydration: when plasma water is reduced, the proteins that remain become more concentrated, so the measured value rises even though the actual amount has not changed much.
Another pattern is an increase in globulins, which can accompany chronic inflammation, ongoing or past infection, and certain immune or bone-marrow conditions that ramp up antibody production. Because these causes are so different, a raised total protein is best treated as a prompt to look closer rather than an answer in itself.
- Check hydration status and whether the sample was affected.
- Look at albumin and globulins separately to see which fraction is elevated.
This is general information, not a diagnosis; your clinician interprets the result in your overall picture.
What a low Total Protein can mean
A low total protein can arise when the body makes less protein, loses more than usual, or simply becomes diluted. Liver disease is one route, since the liver produces much of the albumin in blood, so reduced capacity can lower the total.
Protein can also be lost through the kidneys or the gut, and intake can fall short in malnutrition or poor absorption. Excess body fluid can dilute the sample and pull the number down as well.
- It is usually read together with albumin to see whether the albumin or globulin fraction is low.
- The likely explanation depends heavily on your symptoms and other markers.
A single low value is not a diagnosis; a clinician weighs it alongside your history and related tests before drawing any conclusions.
Track your Total Protein over time in Quanome — it reads your lab reports (PDF or photo) on your device, charts each marker against its range, and an AI coach explains what your trends mean alongside your Apple Health and DNA.