Prealbumin has a half-life of about two days, compared with about three weeks for albumin, making it a more responsive marker of acute changes in protein nutrition. Levels drop quickly in malnutrition, severe illness, or inflammation and rise rapidly with adequate nutritional support.
This test is used to assess nutritional status in hospitalized patients, monitor the effectiveness of nutritional interventions including parenteral and enteral feeding, and evaluate patients with chronic illness, severe burns, or those undergoing major surgery. Because prealbumin also falls during acute inflammation, results are often interpreted alongside CRP to distinguish malnutrition from inflammatory effects. Sample type is serum.
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