Albumin Test: Price, Purpose & Normal Values [2024]

• Price
• Purpose
• Sample Types
• Procedure
• Results

The albumin test measures the amount of albumin in the patient’s blood. Albumin is a protein in humans made in the liver, which carries hormones, vitamins, and minerals in our body when it enters the bloodstream. It is also known as the ALB test (Albumin Blood Test).

Albumin test cost ranges from Rs 200 to Rs 300. Mostly, a doctor prescribes liver function (LFT Test) that also includes an albumin test.

Your healthcare worker may suggest you take an albumin test when you encounter any problem related to the liver or kidneys. A Doctor may recommend you a few more tests related to the Kidney and liver for a proper diagnosis. 

Test Details in brief

Also Known As	Albumin test, serum albumin test
Purpose	Measure albumin level for liver and Kidney disorders
Preparation	Overnight fasting is preferred
Fasting	Yes
Reporting Time	8 to 24 Hrs.
Cost	Rs. 200 to Rs. 300

Albumin Test Cost

Albumin test cost ranges from Rs 200 to Rs 300. It is a comparatively inexpensive test. The actual price may vary depending on the diagnostic centre and sample type. A doctor seldom prescribes an albumin test; instead, liver (LFT) and kidney function test (KFT) are more common. LFT also includes albumin level. LFT test cost ranges from Rs 500 to Rs 1000.

Cost At Popular Labs:

Name of Lab	Test Price
Dr Lal Path labs	Rs 60 (City-based)
Thyrocare	Rs 100
Metropolis Healthcare	Rs 220 (City-based)
SRL Diagnostics	Rs 200
Vijaya Diagnostics	Rs 210

Cost in different cities

The Albumin test cost depends upon the diagnostic centre, and there may be a slight variation from one city to another. Below is the cost range in major cities. You can click on the city name for a list of diagnostic centres providing the test with their price.

City	Test Price
Albumin Test Cost in Delhi	Rs 50 to Rs 300
Albumin Test Cost in Mumbai	Rs 70 to Rs 150
Albumin Test Cost in Bangalore	Rs 70 to Rs 200
Albumin Test Cost in Hyderabad	Rs 100 to Rs 200
Albumin Test Cost in Gurgaon	Rs 60 to Rs 150
Albumin Test Cost in Chennai	Rs 72 to Rs 150

Quick links for test prices in some important cities

• Patna
• Lucknow
• Jaipur
• Noida
• Gurgaon
• Pune
• Indore
• Chandigarh
• Ahmedabad
• Agra
• Bhubaneswar
• Nagpur
• Coimbatore

Purpose

The albumin test aims to find the level of albumin level in your blood. Depending on the low and high levels of albumin may help identify the underlying disease. But if you don’t have any symptoms of liver problems, you will be suggested to get other tests done with albumin by your healthcare worker.

A decrease in the albumin level can cause various serious problems in your body, like kidney and liver damage. Your healthcare worker may suggest you take an albumin test when you encounter any issue related to the liver or kidneys.

Common symptoms when you should take this test are: 

Liver-Related problems

• Jaundice
• Dark-color of urine
• Pale color of stool
• Weight loss
• Fatigue

Kidney-related problems

• Nausea
• Bloody or brown colored urine
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes

Albumin test types

Albumin is present in blood and urine; thus, a diagnostic centre may use a blood or urine sample. Depending on the underlying symptoms, a doctor may suggest a different sample or test type. Some common types are

Urine Albumin test

Urine Albumin tests the content of albumin in your urine to identify the condition of your kidneys. In abnormal conditions, there is an increase in the albumin content in your urine, called albuminuria. The decrease in albumin level is also abnormal, and this condition is called microalbuminuria.

The primary reason behind the albuminuria condition is diabetes. It may also happen due to high blood pressure, heart failure, or cirrhosis. Untreated early symptoms may also cause serious kidney damage. The urine sample for the urine albumin test is taken when you urinate for the first time in the morning.

Serum Albumin Tests

The purpose of the serum albumin test is the same as blood albumin tests, to measure the amount of albumin content in the blood to identify the underlying problem of your kidneys and liver if there are many. For blood serum albumin tests, the sample is taken in the form of blood from the veins of your arm. Since it also carries minerals into the bloodstream, it may indicate a nutrient deficiency in your body. 

Glycated Albumin Tests

Glycated Albumin(GA) is the albumin bound to the sugar. An abnormal increase in the level of glycation can cause serious damage to the internal organs, like kidneys. Glycated albumin helps to understand the severity of diabetes in your blood. It is an important biomarker to identify diabetes in the early stage.

Micro Albumin Test

Your healthcare provider recommends a microalbumin test in the case of early signs of serious kidney damage. This test is done in type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure patients. It measures a small level of albumin in your urine. The microalbumin test requires urine as a sample, and it does not require any prior preparations.

Albumin/ Creatinine ratio (ACR Test)

ACR or albumin creatinine ratio is measured by dividing albumin level by the creatinine level in 24 hours or spot urine sample.

ACR test is a useful measure of kidney damage. It is a helpful way of identifying patients at risk of progressive Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).

Increased urinary albumin excretion is highly predictive of Diabetic Nephropathy and End-stage
renal disease in patients with Diabetes Mellitus.

Albumin Test Procedure

The procedure varies depending on the sample to be collected.

Blood Test procedure

A blood sample is drawn by puncturing the veins in the arms using a small needle. The sample is collected in a test tube or a vial and sent to the lab. The procedure takes a few minutes.

Urine Test Procedure

The technician will provide you with a clean, sterilized container to collect the urine. An early morning first urine sample is preferable.

It would be best if you let a small stream pass through before collecting the urine. Then collect and urine in the container and hand it over to the technician for testing.

Test Strips

Albumin test strips are used for the semi-quantitative analysis of albumin content in the blood. The Color change of chromogen in the albumin strips describes the intensity of albumin present in the blood. It is a simple test that does not require any complex laboratory equipment. There are various albumin test strips available in the market.

You can get various urine albumin test strips available from the market at a reasonably low price. This test helps identify albuminuria and microalbuminuria in diabetic patients by the quantitative measurements of albumin and creatinine in your urine.

Albumin Test Results

Urine and blood albumin and microalbumin test results and normal values are listed below.

Test Name	Sample	Unit	Normal Range
Albumin Serum	Blood	gm/dL	3.8-5.0
Microalbumin	Urine	mg/L	<20
Glycated Albumin	Blood	ml	0.2-1
Urine Albumin	Urine	ml	2 ounces
Microalbumin: Creatinine Ratio	Urine	mg/g	< 30

Common reasons for high level

Higher than normal levels may indicate

• Dehyderation
• Diarrhea or lose motion
• Acute infection
• Stress after surgery

Common reasons for low level

Lower than normal level may indicate

• Liver disease
• Inflamation
• manutrition
• Kidney disease
• Infection

If your results are lower or higher than the normal range, you should consult a doctor for a proper diagnosis. Your healthcare provider will clinically correlate your results. She may ask to undergo some additional tests like LFT and KFT.

Sample report

You shall take a view of the sample report given below.