BLOOD TEST · SMART CARE POLYCLINIC, DEIRA
Total Protein explained
Albumin plus the antibody proteins — informative mainly for the gap between the two.
What the Total Protein test measures
Everything protein in the blood added together: albumin, which the liver makes, plus the globulins, which are largely antibodies. The total says little; the split says more, which is why albumin is reported alongside it.1
Reported as part of Liver Function Test.
What the result tells you
What the doctor calculates
Albumin subtracted from the total gives the globulins. A normal total can hide a low albumin sitting beside high globulins.
Raised globulins
Suggests the immune system is persistently active — long-standing infection, an inflammatory condition, or chronic liver disease.
When it needs more than a recheck
Occasionally a raised globulin fraction reflects a disorder of the antibody-producing cells, which is checked with specific further tests.
If it's low
Usually tracks a low albumin, with the same explanations: liver disease, kidney protein loss, or poor nutrition.
How to prepare
- Fasting
- Not needed
- Best time
- Any time, usually with the rest of the panel
- Worth knowing
- Be normally hydrated — this measurement is sensitive to it in both directions.
What can move the result
A result outside the usual range does not on its own mean something is wrong. These are the everyday explanations a doctor considers first.
Frequently asked questions
Everything protein in the blood added together: albumin, which the liver makes, plus the globulins, which are largely antibodies. The total says little; the split says more, which is why albumin is reported alongside it. What the doctor calculates: Albumin subtracted from the total gives the globulins. A normal total can hide a low albumin sitting beside high globulins.
Fasting: Not needed. Best time: Any time, usually with the rest of the panel. Be normally hydrated — this measurement is sensitive to it in both directions.
Commonly: dehydration, which raises it; chronic infection or inflammation; liver disease and kidney protein loss; poor nutrition or malabsorption; recent illness of any kind. A single result is not a diagnosis. Values are read against the laboratory's own reference range and alongside your history, your symptoms and the rest of the panel — which is why every package includes a doctor to go through them with you.
At Smart Care Polyclinic, 29 Doha Centre, Al Maktoum Rd, Deira, Dubai. Walk in during opening hours or call +971 (0)4 379 3562.
Sources
Written from current guidance and reviewed 31 August 2026.
Sources cited above
- Kwo PY, Cohen SM, Lim JK. ACG Clinical Guideline: Evaluation of Abnormal Liver Chemistries. The American Journal of Gastroenterology. 2017;112(1):18-35. PMID 27995906. doi:10.1038/ajg.2016.517The American College of Gastroenterology guideline on what a raised liver enzyme actually means and how an abnormal result should be worked up.
Sources are listed for the specific statements they support. They are published research and guidance, not a substitute for a consultation — what applies to you is decided by a doctor who has assessed you.
- Total protein and A/G ratioMedlinePlus, US National Library of Medicine
- Total proteinTesting.com, Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine
- Blood testsNHS