Globulin, Total

What it is

Total globulin is the protein left over once albumin is subtracted from total protein — calculated, not measured directly. It isn't one substance: the fraction bundles antibodies, transport proteins, clotting factors and inflammatory proteins together into a single number. That breadth is the main thing to understand about it. A shift can come from immune activity, from liver or kidney changes, or from ordinary variation in any one of the proteins inside it, and the total can't distinguish between them. When it matters clinically, the usual next step isn't repeating it but looking at the parts — which specific proteins are driving the change — alongside albumin and the rest of the metabolic panel.

Typical range

Reference ranges vary between laboratories, and what is normal for you depends on your own history. Your own lab’s range is the one printed on your report.

Worth asking your clinician

• What does my globulin level suggest when read alongside albumin and total protein?
• Could recent illness or inflammation explain this result?