title: Decreased anion gap associated with hypoalbuminemia and polyclonal gammopathy.
abstract: Anion gaps were determined in 82 patients with hypoalbuminemia; 24 of these patients had a polyclonal increase in gamma-globulin levels (designated group 5). The 58 patients without the polyclonal increase in gamma-globulin levels were subdivided according to the origin of their serum albumin loss as follows: group 1, renal group 2, gastrointestinal; group 3, skin; and group 4, malignant neoplasms. All groups had a statistically significant reduction in their mean anion gaps when compared with normal control subjects. The greatest decrease was when hypoalbuminemia was accompanied by a polyclonal increase in gamma-globulin levels. Hypoalbuminemia with or without a polyclonal gammopathy is a cause of a low anion gap. No statistically significant correlation was found between the anion gaps and individual serum albumin concentrations.
mesh_terms: D000136:Acid-Base Equilibrium; D002056:Burns / Q000097:blood; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D006942:Hypergammaglobulinemia / Q000097:blood*; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000097:blood; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000097:blood; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000172:deficiency*; D005719:gamma-Globulins / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D012709:Serum Albumin; D005719:gamma-Globulins