Veterinary Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Diagnosis-II

ABNORMAL PLASMA PROTEINS - HYPERPROTEINEMIA

Hyperproteinemia: (Increased Protein Concentration)

Hyperalbuminemia and Hyperglobulinemia

• Causes
  • Loss of water from the blood causes an increased concentrations of albumin and globulin.
  • The albumin : globulin ratio is not altered because both fractions are concentrated equally.

Hyperglobulinemia

• It depends on the type of globulin that is increased: Increased gamma globulin concentration.
• Acute inflammation is the most common cause.
• Concentrations of several proteins in the  globulin fraction ( e.g., Ceruloplasmin, haptoglobin, and alpha 2 macroglobulin) are increased.
  These proteins are collectively called as acute phase proteins.
• Increased beta globulin concentrations can occur with acute inflammation, nephrotic syndrome, liver disease and immune response.
• Concentrations of several acute phase proteins in this fraction ( e.g., C-reactive proteins, complement, ferritin) increase during acute inflammation.
• Increased gamma globulin concentration: This fraction includes most of the immunoglobulins.
• Increases in gamma globulin concentration are termed as gammopathies and they are divided in to polyclonal ( have broad based peak in the beta and gamma regions) and monoglonal gammopathies ( have a narrow based electrophoretic peak in the beta and gamma regions), which suggests chronic inflammatory diseases (e.g., chronic bacterial, viral, fungal or rickttsial disordrer, parasitism ( cutaneous parasites), cancer and immune mediated diseases.
• Multiple myeloma is due to the proliferation of single clone of B lymphocytes.
• This clone produces a homogenous type ( monoclonal immunoglobulin) of protein called as paraprotein or M-component.

A/G ratio

•  A/G ratio provides a systematic approach to the interpretation of protein values.
• Normal A/G ratio
  • Dehydration with water loss results in hyperproteinemia with out a change in the A/G ratio.
  • Albumin and globulin fractions are increased proportionately.
  • Excess fluid intake or fluid therapy is a simple cause of hypoproteinemia. This is due to the dilution.
• Decreased A/G ratio
  • It is generally due to decreased level of albumin and increased level of globulins.
  • The conditions resulting in the reduced level of albumin and increased level of globulins have been discussed earlier.
• Increased A/G ratio
  • Generally albumin is not produced in excess.
  • Any increase in the level of albumin is due to hemoconcentration as a result of dehydration.

Decreased globulins

• Newborn animals are physiologically hypoglobulinemic(failure of passive transfer of cholostral antibodies).
• When there is a failure in the formation of gamma globulins( Immunosuppression or immunodeficiency)
• The other causes are blood loss and protein losing enteropathy.