The short answer
Total protein is all the protein in your blood. That’s albumin, which your liver makes, plus globulins, which include your antibodies. Labcorp’s range is 6.0 to 8.5 g/dL, and the number means more once you split it into those two parts.1,2,3
- A good result
- 6.0 to 8.5 g/dL.2
- If yours is high
- Often you were a little dehydrated. If your globulin is high, the usual causes are inflammation, liver disease or an infection such as HIV or hepatitis C.1,3,6
- Should you test?
- It comes with most checkup blood tests, alongside albumin. Read the two together.1
Check your result
Type the number from your report. It stays on this page.
- Very low Under 4.0
- Low 4.0 to 5.9
- Normal 6.0 to 8.5
- High 8.6 or more
Enter your result to see what it means and what to do next.
Got a result from another lab? Ask Picardo about it. The app explains your results, and a physician can follow up.
The lab range is from Labcorp’s reports.2 Below 4, with a low albumin, swelling is likely.1 The bar isn’t to scale.
Very low: see a clinician soon
Total protein this low, with a low albumin, causes swelling.1 Causes include protein lost through the kidneys or gut, and serious liver disease.1
See a clinician within a few days.
- 1 Take this result to a clinician, with a urine test for protein.1
Low: check your albumin
Start with the albumin on the same report. Common causes of a low total protein are pregnancy, IV fluids, liver or kidney disease, gut diseases that lose protein and long illness.1 Lying down for a long time before the blood draw, as in hospital, lowers it by 5% to 10%.1
Not urgent. Worth finding the cause over the next few weeks.
- 1 Work out your globulin: total protein minus albumin. Labcorp’s range for it is 1.5 to 4.5 g/dL.2
- 2 If your albumin is low, that’s the part to explain.1
- 3 If albumin is normal but globulin is 2.0 or less, ask whether your antibody levels should be checked, especially if you get frequent infections.6
In the normal range
Your total protein is within Labcorp’s range.2
Nothing to worry about.
High: check your globulin
A common reason is dehydration.1 If your albumin is normal, the extra protein is globulin. That can come from long-term inflammation, liver disease or an infection such as HIV or hepatitis C, and less often from an abnormal antibody, as in MGUS or myeloma.1,3,6
Not urgent. Worth one follow-up.
- 1 Work out your globulin, which is total protein minus albumin. A gap of more than 4 g/dL makes HIV and hepatitis C more likely, so test for them if you haven’t been tested before.3
- 2 A high globulin on its own doesn’t call for myeloma tests. Clinicians add those when there are other signs, such as anemia, bone pain, kidney problems, high calcium, frequent infections or unexplained weight loss.3,4
What is a normal total protein level?
Labcorp’s range for total protein is 6.0 to 8.5 g/dL.2 On its own, it says little. What helps is splitting it into albumin and globulin:1,2
Very low: see a clinician soon
Total protein this low, with a low albumin, causes swelling.1 Causes include protein lost through the kidneys or gut, and serious liver disease.1
See a clinician within a few days.
- 1 Take this result to a clinician, with a urine test for protein.1
Low: check your albumin
Start with the albumin on the same report. Common causes of a low total protein are pregnancy, IV fluids, liver or kidney disease, gut diseases that lose protein and long illness.1 Lying down for a long time before the blood draw, as in hospital, lowers it by 5% to 10%.1
Not urgent. Worth finding the cause over the next few weeks.
- 1 Work out your globulin: total protein minus albumin. Labcorp’s range for it is 1.5 to 4.5 g/dL.2
- 2 If your albumin is low, that’s the part to explain.1
- 3 If albumin is normal but globulin is 2.0 or less, ask whether your antibody levels should be checked, especially if you get frequent infections.6
In the normal range
Your total protein is within Labcorp’s range.2
Nothing to worry about.
High: check your globulin
A common reason is dehydration.1 If your albumin is normal, the extra protein is globulin. That can come from long-term inflammation, liver disease or an infection such as HIV or hepatitis C, and less often from an abnormal antibody, as in MGUS or myeloma.1,3,6
Not urgent. Worth one follow-up.
- 1 Work out your globulin, which is total protein minus albumin. A gap of more than 4 g/dL makes HIV and hepatitis C more likely, so test for them if you haven’t been tested before.3
- 2 A high globulin on its own doesn’t call for myeloma tests. Clinicians add those when there are other signs, such as anemia, bone pain, kidney problems, high calcium, frequent infections or unexplained weight loss.3,4
What is total protein?
Think of total protein as the weight of a bag of groceries. To know what’s going on, you have to look inside: how much is albumin, and how much is globulin.
Your report usually shows four related numbers:2
| On your report | Labcorp’s range | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Total protein | 6.0 to 8.5 g/dL | All the protein in your blood |
| Albumin | Depends on age and sex | The main protein, made by your liver |
| Globulin | 1.5 to 4.5 g/dL | Total protein minus albumin. It includes your antibodies. |
| A/G ratio | 1.2 to 2.2 | Albumin divided by globulin |
Labs suggest splitting total protein into its parts, with a test called protein electrophoresis, when there’s a clinical reason to.1
What does a high globulin mean?
Globulin rises with long-term inflammation and infection, with liver disease such as cirrhosis or chronic hepatitis, and with autoimmune conditions such as lupus.1,6 In a study of hospital patients with a very high globulin, liver disease was the most common cause.6 Less often, globulin comes from an abnormal antibody made by a single family of plasma cells, as in MGUS or myeloma.3
On its own, a high globulin is a weak clue for myeloma. In a large US study, a gap of more than 4 g/dL between total protein and albumin picked up only 15% of people with MGUS, a condition in which plasma cells make an abnormal antibody that usually stays harmless. The same gap was a stronger sign of HIV and hepatitis C, and the authors suggest it may justify testing for those instead.3
When myeloma is a real question, clinicians use three tests together: serum protein electrophoresis, immunofixation and free light chains. Combined, they find more than 97% of people with an abnormal antibody.4
Should you be screened for MGUS?
Not routinely. MGUS affects 3% of people over 50 and 5% over 70, and it turns into myeloma or a related cancer in 0.5% to 1% of people a year.4 There’s no evidence yet to support screening the general population, and guidelines don’t recommend it.4
The first large trial of screening reported in July 2026. In Iceland, more than 75,000 adults aged 40 and over were tested, and those with MGUS were randomly assigned to different levels of follow-up, including none. Follow-up found 27 times more early, smoldering myeloma and diagnosed myeloma about a year sooner, but it didn’t change how many people developed active myeloma. Whether screening saves lives isn’t known yet.5
What lowers total protein?
- Pregnancy and IV fluids1
- Liver disease, including cirrhosis1
- Kidney disease that leaks protein into your urine1
- Gut diseases that lose protein, such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis1
- Malnutrition or poor absorption of food1
- Burns and severe skin disease1
Who should get a total protein test?
Total protein comes on the comprehensive metabolic panel, so most people get it with routine blood work. There’s rarely a reason to test it on its own. It’s most useful read alongside albumin, especially if you have swelling, or kidney or liver disease.1
How to get a total protein test, and what it costs
It comes from the comprehensive metabolic panel, which costs $4.00 through Picardo.
Comprehensive metabolic panel
The test this number comes from.
- Results in 2 to 3 days, in the app
- Physician follow-up if you want one
- Free Labcorp draw, or $75 at home
- No other fees. HSA and FSA eligible.
It’s also part of the Base Core Annual – Men, Base Core Annual – Women, Heart Health, Brain Health Screening, Pregnancy, Postpartum, Fertility, Thyroid & Autoimmunity and Celiac / GI panels, if you’d rather test more at once.
Already have a result? Ask Picardo about itQuestions people ask
What is the A/G ratio?
Your albumin divided by your globulin. Labcorp’s range is 1.2 to 2.2.2 A low ratio means your globulin is high, your albumin is low or both.
Can dehydration raise total protein?
Yes, it’s a common reason for a high result. Being short of water concentrates your blood.1
Is a high total protein a sign of cancer?
Usually not. Dehydration, inflammation, infection and liver disease are common causes.1,6 An abnormal antibody, as in MGUS, becomes more common with age, but MGUS turns into myeloma or a related cancer in only 0.5% to 1% of people a year.4
What does a low globulin mean?
It can be a sign of too few antibodies. In a study of hospital patients, most of those with a globulin of 2.0 g/dL or less had low antibody levels when tested.6
Often checked alongside
Test details
- Labcorp test
- Metabolic Panel (14), Comprehensive, 322000
- LOINC
- 2885-2
- Sample
- Blood
- Fasting
- Not needed for total protein itself. The metabolic panel it comes on asks for 12 hours, for its glucose result.
- Typical lab range
- 6.0 to 8.5 g/dL2
- Globulin (calculated)
- 1.5 to 4.5 g/dL2
- Units
- g/dL in the US. For g/L, multiply by 10.
Sources
- 1 Labcorp. Protein, total, test 001073. Labcorp test menu. Accessed October 28, 2026. www.labcorp.com/tests/001073/protein-total
- 2 Labcorp. Comprehensive metabolic panel (14), test 322000: sample report. Labcorp test menu. Accessed October 28, 2026. files.labcorp.com/testmenu-d8/sample_reports/322000.pdf
- 3 Liu GY, Tang O, Brotman DJ, et al. Gamma gap thresholds and HIV, hepatitis C, and monoclonal gammopathy. PLoS One. 2020;15(1):e0224977. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0224977
- 4 Liu Y, Parks AL. Diagnosis and management of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance: a review. JAMA Intern Med. 2025;185(4):450–456. doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2024.8124
- 5 Rögnvaldsson S, Thorsteinsdóttir S, Eythorsson E, et al. Clinical and psychological outcomes after monoclonal gammopathy screening: a population-based screening study and subsequent randomized trial of follow-up. J Clin Oncol. 2026;44(29):2781–2786. doi.org/10.1200/JCO-25-02771
- 6 Hoo T, Lim EM, John M, et al. Calculated globulin as a screening tool for hypogammaglobulinaemia or paraproteins in hospitalized patients. Ann Clin Biochem. 2021;58(3):236–243. doi.org/10.1177/0004563221989737
- 7 Labcorp. Albumin, test 001081. Labcorp test menu. Accessed October 28, 2026. www.labcorp.com/tests/001081/albumin
Updated 28 Oct 2026.
This is general health information, not medical advice: talk to your clinician about your results and before changing any treatment.