lakeesha Hennessy Williams answered
High protein in a medical test can mean a number of different things.
Before coming to any conclusion, you'll need to ask yourself the following questions:
When doctors are testing your 'total protein levels', they are most likely to be interested in your blood-work.
This is because measuring the amount of protein in your bloodstream is a common way of working out if your kidneys or liver are functioning properly.
Having high blood protein can also be a sign of various underlying conditions, of which viral infections like hepatitis or HIV are only two examples.
Protein levels are usually an indication of overall health, and most doctors will look into other factors, too, before coming up with a full diagnosis.
Estrogen and oral hormone contraceptives (like birth-control pills) are also known to increase protein levels in the blood-stream, as is the prolonged use of a tourniquet (not something I'd advise, by the way).
Before coming to any conclusion, you'll need to ask yourself the following questions:
- Firstly, what is being tested for protein - is it blood? Urine? Your kidneys?
- Secondly, there are a number of different proteins present in your body - so which kind of protein you have high levels of can make a world of difference.
When doctors are testing your 'total protein levels', they are most likely to be interested in your blood-work.
This is because measuring the amount of protein in your bloodstream is a common way of working out if your kidneys or liver are functioning properly.
Having high blood protein can also be a sign of various underlying conditions, of which viral infections like hepatitis or HIV are only two examples.
Protein levels are usually an indication of overall health, and most doctors will look into other factors, too, before coming up with a full diagnosis.
Estrogen and oral hormone contraceptives (like birth-control pills) are also known to increase protein levels in the blood-stream, as is the prolonged use of a tourniquet (not something I'd advise, by the way).
