Proteins in Blood
Blood consists of 45% blood cells and 55% plasma. Blood plasma contains thousands of different proteins, such as hormones, antibodies, and ferritin.
What is the function of protein in your blood?
Proteins perform all kinds of functions in your blood. They are the building blocks of your body and are essential for various bodily processes to function properly. Albumin, for example, plays a key role in transporting nutrients, while fibrinogen is important for blood clotting. Or take the protein ferritin: it stores iron in your body. Your body needs this iron to produce hemoglobin—the protein responsible for transporting oxygen. You also have immunoglobulins in your body. These are antibodies that protect you against illness.
How much protein is in your blood?
The protein level in your blood is partly determined by genetics. However, it is also affected by your diet, illnesses, or infections. Doctors sometimes check your blood protein levels to confirm or rule out a specific diagnosis.
A normal protein level in serum (plasma without clotting factors) is between 60 and 80 grams per liter. In plasma, this is between 63 and 83 grams per liter.
Measuring protein in plasma donors
Sanquin measures total protein levels in plasma donors' blood every year. We do this to protect your health. If you donate plasma frequently, your protein level can sometimes drop too low. This rarely happens, but if a low protein level is detected, we will let you know.
What if the amount of protein in your blood is too high?
Having too much protein in your blood (hyperproteinemia) can have various causes. A high protein level doesn't cause symptoms on its own, but it can be a sign of an underlying condition, such as dehydration, an infection, liver disease, or another illness. Symptoms like inflammation, nausea, dizziness, and general fatigue may prompt your doctor to run blood tests to confirm or rule out a diagnosis.
What if the amount of protein in your blood is too low?
For plasma donors, a low protein level can result from frequent donations. However, it can also be caused by kidney, intestinal, or liver issues, for example. With kidney or intestinal disorders, proteins leak from the blood and leave your body through urine or stool. A low blood protein level is often detected via a urine test showing elevated protein levels. In other cases, your body might simply produce too little protein. Certain liver diseases, for instance, reduce albumin production.
Proteins from blood help patients
Certain proteins can be extracted from your plasma to help patients. For instance, some patients need clotting factors to prevent bleeding, while others don't produce enough antibodies and are unable to properly defend themselves against invading infections. Proteins from donor plasma can be used to make medicines for up to 100 different diseases.
Your proteins make a real difference.
The demand for plasma-derived proteins is growing, which is why more plasma donors are needed every day. Want to help save lives too? Find out how you can become a plasma donor.