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What Does High Anion Gap Indicate?
Question: I'm looking over some blood work I've had done in the last 6 months. and my doctor never talked to me about any of these, so what does it mean when your anion gap is high? mine was 20 mmol/L. or your A/G ratio? mine was 2.3. my doctor must not have been concerned as he said nothing to me. but on the labs its says they are high. if you want to know numbers for anything else just ask. I have copies of everything. thank you
Brief Answer:
interpreted with clinical features, not on own
Detailed Answer:
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic
The anion gap is the difference between primary (most relevant) measured cations ( electrolytes with a positive charge) and primary anions (electrolytes with a negative charge).
The cations are potassium and sodium.
The anions are chloride and bicarbonate though there are some unmeasured anions in the body.
Though the anion gap does provide info, the result is always correlated with clinical findings on assessment of a person. If the gap is normally but the clinical findings do not match then it is a possible lab error.
The possible causes of accurate increase in anion gap are: (1)uremia - high levels of urea (BUN) in the blood. This can occur in kidney disease
(2)diabetic ketoacidosis- very high blood sugars causing other abnormal electrolytes
(3)lactic acidosis- lactate acid is formed from breakdown of glucose in the muscle .When this is very high- lactate acidosis
(4)milk alkali syndrome-caused by ingestion of very large amounts of calcium and absorbable alkali
(5)rhabdomyolysis- breakdown of muscle that can cause kidney failure
(6)isoniazid intoxication- this is a medication used to treat tb
(7)propylene glycol
(8)ethanol ethylene glycol
If there were no clinical findings indicating any of the above conditions, your doctor would have assumed lab error.
The A/G ratio is the albumin/ globulin ratio. The normal range is 0.8 to 2.0 though it can vary slightly from one lab to the next. A high ratio may indicate either increased levels of albumin or decreased globulins
Because your value is 2.3 and only slightly above range, your doctor would have likely made the decision to observe especially if there are no clinical symptoms.
I hope this helps, feel free to ask any additional questions
interpreted with clinical features, not on own
Detailed Answer:
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic
The anion gap is the difference between primary (most relevant) measured cations ( electrolytes with a positive charge) and primary anions (electrolytes with a negative charge).
The cations are potassium and sodium.
The anions are chloride and bicarbonate though there are some unmeasured anions in the body.
Though the anion gap does provide info, the result is always correlated with clinical findings on assessment of a person. If the gap is normally but the clinical findings do not match then it is a possible lab error.
The possible causes of accurate increase in anion gap are: (1)uremia - high levels of urea (BUN) in the blood. This can occur in kidney disease
(2)diabetic ketoacidosis- very high blood sugars causing other abnormal electrolytes
(3)lactic acidosis- lactate acid is formed from breakdown of glucose in the muscle .When this is very high- lactate acidosis
(4)milk alkali syndrome-caused by ingestion of very large amounts of calcium and absorbable alkali
(5)rhabdomyolysis- breakdown of muscle that can cause kidney failure
(6)isoniazid intoxication- this is a medication used to treat tb
(7)propylene glycol
(8)ethanol ethylene glycol
If there were no clinical findings indicating any of the above conditions, your doctor would have assumed lab error.
The A/G ratio is the albumin/ globulin ratio. The normal range is 0.8 to 2.0 though it can vary slightly from one lab to the next. A high ratio may indicate either increased levels of albumin or decreased globulins
Because your value is 2.3 and only slightly above range, your doctor would have likely made the decision to observe especially if there are no clinical symptoms.
I hope this helps, feel free to ask any additional questions
Note: For further queries related to kidney problems and comprehensive renal care, talk to a Nephrologist. Click here to Book a Consultation.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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