The causes of increase and decrease of haptoglobin
Last reviewed: 19.10.2021
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Haptoglobin belongs to the proteins of the acute phase. Increase in its concentration in the blood occurs due to stimulation of IL cells of the liver. Nevertheless, changes in the concentration of haptoglobin in the blood are not as regular as other proteins in the acute phase. This is due to the fact that during hemolysis in vivo, which often accompanies acute phase processes, haptoglobin selectively binds to free plasma hemoglobin, which leads to a decrease in its content in the blood. Therefore, the overall result can be an increase, decrease or maintenance of the normal concentration of this protein. To exclude the effect of hemolysis on the results of the determination of haptoglobin, they must be compared with the data of a study of at least one other acute phase reactant. The main diseases and conditions leading to an increase in the concentration of haptoglobin in the blood serum are similar to those given for orosomucoid. In addition, an increase in the content of haptoglobin in the blood is observed with cholestasis, treatment with glucocorticosteroids.
Reduction in the concentration of haptoglobin is detected in all types of hemolysis in vivo - autoimmune, isoimmune, mechanical (artificial heart valves, trauma, etc.); with acute and chronic liver diseases; with ineffective erythropoiesis (deficiency of folic acid, hemoglobinopathy); defects of the erythrocyte membrane or metabolism (deficiency of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase); increased spleen.
In nephrotic syndrome, the degree of decrease in the concentration of haptoglobin in the blood depends on its phenotype. With Hp 1-1, whose molecular mass is relatively small, the concentration of haptoglobin decreases due to its losses in the urine. With other types of haptoglobin (with a higher molecular mass), losses with urine do not practically occur and its concentration in the blood does not decrease.
The content of haptoglobin in the blood serum increases with malignant neoplasms of some localizations (breast, GIT, genital, lung, etc.). It is possible to change the relative content of types of haptoglobin in the serum of patients with genital and breast cancer (predominance of Hp 1-1 in malignant tumors of the mammary gland and decrease in Hp 2-2 in cervical cancer).