Parathyroid Q&A is a community of experts and patients dedicated to understanding and treating Parathyroid Disease.

Questions and Answers

Ask Question

Albumin

Calcium lab results are sometimes "corrected" for albumin. Patients often wonder what this means and whether it is necessary.

Do you need to correct your calcium based on albumin levels? My doctor told me that my high calcium level was actually normal once he corrected for albumin.

The short answer is that you cannot “correct” a high calcium down to normal by looking at albumin. We use albumin to correct for low calcium levels. But this is a tricky issue, which requires a longer explanation. First, let me explain how calcium and albumin are related. Calcium in the blood can be free (not bound to anything) or bound to albumin. The free calcium is the ionized calcium, which...

Albumin Normal calcium Diagnosis

Do you have any thoughts on why there are so many varying opinions on what lab values actually confirm a diagnosis? For example many very well respected experienced surgeons and endocrinologists correct calcium for albumin even when it’s not low. This can bring a high calcium down to normal or even low and possibly miss a diagnosis.

It's a great question. It seems like we should all be able to agree on which lab values are normal. Unfortunately this is not the case, and there are a few reasons. First, when the lab gives the results, it gives a "normal range" - but this is looking at all humans in aggregate. A normal human can have a calcium of 10.5 mg/dl when she is 20 years old, but should not have that when she is 80...

Diagnosis Normal calcium Albumin

What does it mean when your Calcium is 10.7 mg/dL and your Albumin is 4.9 g/dL?

There are two main issues here. First, what does a calcium of 10.7 mg/dl mean? And second, does the albumin change that? Let's address the calcium first. If you are over the age of 30, then that calcium level is high. The most common cause of high calcium is primary hyperparathyroidism. To make that diagnosis, we first have to look at a calcium and PTH level together. If your calcium is hig...

Diagnosis primary hyperparathyroidism Vitamin D Albumin

Hi Dr. Boone, I am so grateful to have come across your website, it has brought me clarity and understanding in a subject very foreign to me. My question is, my sisters have MEN1, I have a genetic appointment in May for my testing. They all have hyperparathyroidism and have had surgery. My calcium level is 9.8 and my doctor said she corrected it due to albumin. My albumin was normal at 4.6 and my calcium was 9.8, this brought it to a 9.3. she tested my PTH at 43.7. She didn't test my vitamin D because she said she didn't feel she needed to. I have horrible bone pain too, but she said she didn't know that. She is sending me for a pituitary MRI due to high prolactin and vision problems. Why would she correct my CA if it didn't need to be corrected? Thank you so much!

Hello, I'm glad you've found the information on the website helpful. Firstly, it's important to understand that the "correction" your doctor is referring to is a mathematical adjustment based on your albumin level. Albumin is a protein in the blood that can bind to calcium, and a certain proportion of the calcium in your blood is typically bound to albumin. If your albumin level is abnormal...

Genetics Primary HPT Albumin Symptoms Diagnosis MEN1