Incidence and mortality of hypoalbuminemic patients in hospitalized veterans.

The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of hypoalbuminemia (HAlb) in a hospitalized male veteran population. Computerized surveillance of all clinical serum albumin determinations was performed during a 60-day interval. Each patient with an albumin level of 3.4 g/100 ml or less was identified and classified as an A, B, C, or D patient, based on the lowest recorded albumin level. After classification, each patient was followed either until death or for a minimum of 60 days. From a population of 2060 hospitalized veterans, 509 were identified as having HAlb for an incidence of 24.7%. The 30-day mortality rate for these 509 patients was 24.6%. The highest mortality rate, 62.0%, was seen in 50 group D patients whose albumin levels fell to 2.0 or below. For all HAlb patient groups, a linear correlation could be demonstrated between the level of HAlb observed and the subsequent 30-day mortality rate. It is concluded that, in our hospitalized veteran population, HAlb is a common finding and is associated with an increased 30-day mortality rate.