Editing Nutrition – RN Practice Questions (section)

==Question 11==
The nurse is evaluating the response of a malnourished client to one week of nutrition support. Which laboratory value is the most useful indicator of short-term response?
# Serum albumin
# Prealbumin
# Total protein
# Blood urea nitrogen

'''Answer:''' 2. Prealbumin.

''Rationale:'' Prealbumin, also called transthyretin, has a half-life of only 2 to 3 days, so it responds within days to changes in protein and calorie delivery, making it the standard marker for short-term monitoring. Albumin has a half-life of roughly 18 to 21 days and will not have changed meaningfully in a week. Total protein is even less sensitive and is dominated by albumin and globulins. Blood urea nitrogen reflects protein load, renal function, and hydration together and cannot isolate nutritional response. The nurse should still interpret prealbumin alongside markers of inflammation, since acute illness lowers it independent of intake.