FAQ: What Does A Low Anion Gap Mean?

If your results show a low anion gap, it may mean you have a low level of albumin, a protein in the blood. Low albumin may indicate kidney problems, heart disease, or some types of cancer.

What are symptoms of low anion gap?

Symptoms of an electrolyte imbalance

• shortness of breath.
• nausea or vomiting.
• edema (accumulation of fluid)
• abnormal heartbeat.
• weakness.
• confusion.

What is a low anion gap number?

Results: Based on current clinical data, an anion gap value of < 3 mEq/L should be considered low. A low anion gap is a useful diagnostic tool, but its clinical significance is often unrecognized.

Which disorder would be a common cause of a decreased anion gap?

Hypoalbuminemia is the most common cause of reduced anion gap [9,10] and some [11,12] have argued that in patient populations such as the critically ill, who frequently suffer hypoalbuminemia, correction of the serum anion gap for serum albumin concentration is necessary for accurate interpretation of serum anion gap.

What type of cancer causes low anion gap?

What does it mean if your Anion Gap result is too low? A low anion gap level is rare and indicates an abnormally high level of positively charged molecules. The most common cause of which, is multiple myeloma. Multiple myeloma is a cancer of a class of white blood cells called plasma cells.

Should I worry about a low anion gap?

If your results show a low anion gap, it may mean you have a low level of albumin, a protein in the blood. Low albumin may indicate kidney problems, heart disease, or some types of cancer. Since low anion gap results are uncommon, retesting is often done to ensure the results are accurate.

What is acidosis disease?

Acidosis is a condition in which there is too much acid in the body fluids. It is the opposite of alkalosis (a condition in which there is too much base in the body fluids).

Is 2 a low anion gap?

An anion gap number between 3 and 10 is considered normal. But the “normal” range can vary from person to person, and it may also depend on the methods your lab used to do the test.

Can anion gap fluctuate?

Anion Gap: Only relevant if your CO2 is abnormal. Calcium: This is not related to dietary intake of calcium. It may fluctuate gently based on the amount of protein within your body. If it is above 10.9, we may need to do additional testing.

What does low albumin indicate?

If you have a lower albumin level, you may have malnutrition. It can also mean that you have liver disease or an inflammatory disease. Higher albumin levels may be caused by acute infections, burns, and stress from surgery or a heart attack.

What factors affect anion gap?

The anion gap is affected by changes in unmeasured ions. In uncontrolled diabetes, there is an increase in ketoacids due to metabolism of ketones. High anion gap

• Lactic acidosis.
• Ketoacidosis. Diabetic ketoacidosis.
• Toxins:
• Kidney failure, causes high anion gap acidosis by decreased acid excretion and decreased HCO ⁻

Can medication affect anion gap?

Normal doses of medications that contain PG are usually benign, but high-dose prolonged therapy can result in a hyperosmolar anion gap metabolic acidosis.

Does anion gap include potassium?

The anion gap is the difference between primary measured cations (sodium Na⁺ and potassium K⁺ ) and the primary measured anions (chloride Cl^– and bicarbonate HCO3^–) in serum.

What is anion gap normal range?

Normal results are 3 to 10 mEq/L, although the normal level may vary from lab to lab. If your results are higher, it may mean that you have metabolic acidosis. Hypoalbuminemia means you have less albumin protein than normal.

How do you interpret anion gap?

The anion gap is the difference between the number of cations versus anions. An anion gap can be high, normal, or low (rare). A high anion gap indicates the presence of more anions than cations, or acidosis. When bicarbonate is used up to correct the acid-base balance, the gap widens (Kraut and Madias, 2007).