The Serum Protein Electrophoresis was another test that was done when they drew my blood last week. It is a test used to measure specific proteins in the blood to help diagnose some diseases. Albumin and Globulin are the two main groups of blood serum. The SPEP test uses Electrophoresis to separate the proteins into 5 different groups. The different proteins are Albumin, Alpha-1 Globulin, Alpha-2 Globulin, Beta Globulin and Gamma Globulin. If the values are high it can be caused by an immune system disease like Systemic Lupus Erythematous (SLE) or Rheumatoid Arthritis. High levels can also be caused by cancers such as Leukemia, Lymphoma or Multiple Myeloma. Other diseases that can cause a high level include Heart Disease, Kidney Disease and Liver Disease. Dehydration, infection and pregnancy are other causes of high levels. Albumin should be the highest concentration of the serum. It keeps fluids from leaking out of your blood vessels into the surrounding tissues side your body. An increase in levels of Alpha and Gamma Globulins can be caused by inflammation in the body. Low levels of proteins can be caused by Crohns Disease, Hypothyroidism, severe burns, starvation, severe dieting or lung disease such as Emphysema. The other health conditions I listed for high proteins can also make the proteins run low. Decreased total protein can indicate Cirrhosis, Malnutrition, Nephrotic Syndrome or a Gastrointestinal protein losing Enteropathy. This test is not usually used to diagnose all these conditions because certain things can affect the test. It is usually run with other blood tests to help make a diagnosis....Here are a couple articles that I found that goes deeper into the SPEP test and what the different results mean....
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003540.htm
http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/serum-protein-electrophoresis-spe
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