Blood
Prealbumin (Transthyretin)
Also known as: Transthyretin, TTR
CONVERT & COMPARE
mg/dL
=
290
mg/L
Reference ranges by source
Published adult intervals: 4, from 3 named sources, shown in mg/dL.
SOURCE
SEX
AGE
RANGE
VISUAL
CITE
Ages 0–17 (CALIPER)
7 age- and sex-stratified entries from the Canadian Laboratory Initiative on Pediatric Reference Intervals.
SOURCE
SEX
AGE
RANGE
VISUAL
CITE
About Prealbumin (Transthyretin)
A prealbumin blood test measures prealbumin levels in your blood. Prealbumin is a protein that's made in your liver and is found in your blood. Prealbumin is used to make other proteins and helps carry thyroid hormones and vitamin A through your bloodstream. It also helps control how your body uses energy.
If your prealbumin levels are lower than normal, it may be a sign of malnutrition. Malnutrition is a condition where your body doesn't get enough of the nutrients that you need for good health, such as protein, vitamins, and minerals. Children with malnutrition may not grow and develop normally. Prealbumin can also drop in liver disease and during periods of acute inflammation.
Prealbumin only stays in the blood for about 2 days, much shorter than albumin. This short life span means prealbumin changes quickly when nutrition gets better or worse, which is why it's often used to follow how someone is responding to feeding support over days rather than weeks.
Main source: MedlinePlus ↗
Useful for
Helping check whether you are getting enough nutrients, especially protein, in your diet, particularly if you are at risk of malnutrition
Tracking how your nutrition is responding to treatment if you are seriously ill, hospitalized, or receiving feeding through an IV (total parenteral nutrition)
Checking nutritional status in premature infants
Helping recognize when low levels may instead reflect inflammation, infection, or injury rather than poor nutrition
Main source: MedlinePlus ↗
Interpretation
If you have low prealbumin levels and you are ill, injured, or recovering from surgery, it may be difficult to know exactly what is causing the low levels. Inflammation and liver problems can also lower prealbumin, so the result alone may not show whether you are well-nourished. Your provider may need to do other tests to find out more about your nutritional health.
Prealbumin can also be used to gauge nutritional needs and how someone is responding to nutrition support, such as IV (parenteral) feeding, and as a marker of adequate nutrition in premature infants.
Prealbumin testing is not used to diagnose or monitor conditions that raise prealbumin. If you have high prealbumin levels, your provider may order other tests to diagnose your condition.
For general wellness information only. Talk to a clinician about your specific results.
Main source: MedlinePlus ↗
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Related biomarkers
More tests in the blood category.
Sources
A
ARUP Laboratories
M
Mayo Clinic Laboratories
Q
Quest Diagnostics
C
CALIPER: Canadian Pediatric Reference Intervals
Last updated 2026-05-02
This page presents source-specific reference data and sourced explanations. For general wellness information only. This is not medical advice. For diagnosis or treatment of any condition, talk to a qualified clinician.