Abstract

Hypoalbüminemia is one of the hallmarks of the nephrotic syndrome. In nephrotic patients the primary causes of hypoalbuminemia are urinary albumin losses, an inappropriate increase in the fractional catabolic rate of albumin and an insufficient increase in the rate of albumin synthesis to replace these losses. There is no evidence that shifts of albumin to the extra vascular space or that dilution of plasma by volume expansion play any role in causing hypoalbuminemia in nephrotic patients.