Question

What does a high protein count mean in blood work?

Answer 1

Hyperproteinemia, or high blood protein, isn't a disease in itself and doesn't manifest in any symptoms, but it may be discovered by a lab test and indicate some other condition.

Explanation:

Blood is made up of blood cells and blood plasma, for the most part. The cells are red blood cells for carrying oxygen, leukocytes or White Blood Cells (WBC's) for fighting disease, and thrombocytes or platelets that form clots and stop bleeding. Plasma contains ~90% water and the rest proteins, amino acids, glucose, fatty acids, lipoproteins and other biological molecules.

People who are dehydrated have high protein concentrations, though this is as a result of the blood plasma being more concentrated, since there is less water in it. This isn't hyperproteinemia per se, because it is more the lack of one thing than the excess of another.

Real hyperproteinemia may be found when the body has an infection or inflammation that must be fought. Certain proteins known as antibodies will be produced in excess by the White Blood Cells (WBC) in order to fight off the pathogen. Antibodies bind to the antigens in a complimentary fashion, and the immune system destroys the pathogen in a variety of ways.

Cancer of the plasma cells (known as B lymphocytes, a type of WBC), can lead to a cluster of cancerous lymphocytes in the bone marrow, which damages production of other white blood cells and leads to excess of paraprotein, an abnormal antibody dangerous to the kidneys. Hyperproteinemia may arise from the amount of paraprotein in the blood due to the cancer, multiple myeloma.

Finally, amyloidosis, the build-up of misfolded proteins or amyloids in the organs of the body may cause hyperproteinemia by the amyloids produced in the malfunctioning body ending up in the blood stream. Amyloidosis is a serious condition, and certain variants may cause life-threatening organ failure.

In summary, hyperproteinemia is not itself a condition, but a symptom of many potential conditions, some of which are listed above.