Generic DS Lab order

Okay so I was just wondering after seeing others comment about getting their prealbumin tested, why? In my short bit of google researching I see that Pre-albumin has a very short half life of around 3 days where as albumin has a 20 day half life and is part of a normal CMP. To me prealbumin would be a test more suited for somebody who is ill and possibly in the hospital. Albumin seems to be more appropriated for us as we are looking for longer term trends not a very short term level.

Just a question to see if I am missing something.

I am also wondering why CRP is on the stand lab tests? Isn't that a test for inflammation and an acute condition?

I don't have either of those on my tests as I get things monthly due to my nutritional issues, so getting checked so frequently I would think those are extra cost that don't need to be incurred by me or the system unless something else is going on. One test I am going to start adding that I don't have now, is Folate or Folic Acid. My RBC has been low for a while, probably because of my nutritional issues and I am starting on Folate again (took for a while at Hemonc's direction but let it lapse) to see if I can see a correlation between that value, my RBC and my nutritional values.

Just my thoughts on tailoring labs to my situation , but might not hold true for all as YMMV.
 
For prealbumin/albumin you are somewhat correct. A few notes: albumin can be high due to dehydration. Albumin is also affected by your liver and kidneys. It can be affected by your zinc level, if its low, so can the albumin be. Prealbumin is a negative acute phase reactant, where your levels decrease during inflammation. Liver disease can do the same thing. Renal disease and steroids will raise it.
The Minnesota Starvation Experiment shows that a baseline albumin of 4.3 went to only 3.9 (still normal) at the end of the study when the BMI was 16.4, well under 18.

http://jasn.asnjournals.org/content/21/2/223/T2.expansion.html

CRP is a non specific marker for disease. The liver produces it if there is inflammation. So an idea that you might have a problem is why its done.

Folate is a good thing to have no matter what.
 
I found this "generic DS lab order" here and just printed it out. Is this the one I should have run right now? I'm going to use Star's company.
 

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