What Does A High A/g Ratio Test Mean?

Have you heard doctors talking about total protein tests and CMPs? If so, you might be confused as to what all of the complicated vocabulary means. ‘CMP’ is an abbreviation of Comprehensive Metabolic Panel, and this equipment is frequently used by medical professionals to conduct a thorough check-up of their patients. The total protein test is used to screen for any diseases that may be present in the liver and kidneys, mainly in the hope that an early diagnosis can be made for effective treatment. A high A/G ratio is likely to appear in a total protein test, which has the power to identify potential illnesses before the symptoms begin to affect the patient. If the results in this screen prove to be problematic, this can lead the way for more advanced and specific examinations which will pinpoint a problem in more detail.

In an A/G ratio, the ‘A’ stands for ‘albumin’, and the ‘G’ stands for ‘globulin’. If the levels for albumins are deemed disproportionate to that of globulins being produced in the body, it could mean a number of things. If globulins are at a higher-than-average level, the test results may indicate that there is an autoimmune disorder that needs to be treated. Further, if albumin levels are unacceptably low, it could be a sign that cirrhosis is present in the body, an illness that is commonly caused by excessive drinking.

A high A/G ratio suggests that immunoglobulins are not being produced to normal, healthy levels. This is a type of protein which is used to tackle unfamiliar bacteria in the body that could cause a threat to health. When it isn’t produced properly, resulting in a high A/G ratio, it is perceived to be a sign of leukaemia and certain kinds of genetic disorders.

Remember: Nothing is certain until you receive advice from a medical professional, and there is little point worrying about the result until you can get a full explanation about what the implications of your high A/G ratio might be.

"A" is for albumin, "G" is for globulin, the two main constituents of protein in your blood ("globulin" is actually a whole group of proteins, but that's not important for this).
Normally you have slightly more albumin than globulins, giving an A/G ratio of slightly >1. The ratio is normally used as a screen for low or high globulins (A/G ratio high or low, respectively).
A high ratio MAY indicate that the globulins are low (at least as a fraction of total protein), but I've also seen this in dehydration of otherwise healthy individuals (theoretically A/G should be normal in dehydration with a high albumin concentration). It's really not that specific.
The causes of a high result are incredibly varied, ranging from nothing (a "laboma") to multiple myeloma (a type of leukemia/lymphoma) with kidney failure (losing protein in the urine) to immune deficiency, etc. Your age/background, symptoms, and other labs have to all be taken in context.
Hope this helps.