Which serum protein is preferred for monitoring the response to nutritional support over days to weeks, because its short half-life makes it sensitive to recent change?

• A Serum albumin
• B Total immunoglobulin G
• C Serum transthyretin (prealbumin) ✓
• D Complement C3

Explanation

Prealbumin has a half-life of about 2 days, so rising levels reflect improving protein intake within a week, making it the standard visceral protein marker for short-term monitoring. Albumin has a half-life near 20 days and also falls with dilution, inflammation, and hepatic disease, so it tracks chronic illness rather than current nutrition, killing option A. Immunoglobulin G has a half-life around 3 weeks and B3 is an acute phase reactant that rises with inflammation, so neither reflects nutritional response.

Reference: Sabiston Textbook of Surgery, 21st ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.