Hypervolemia affects serum albumin by

• A. Increases
• B. Decreases
• C. No effect
• D. Fluctuates

Answer: (B)

Hypervolemia expands the circulating plasma volume, so the concentration of circulating proteins like albumin decreases if the total amount of albumin hasn’t changed yet. This dilutional effect means serum albumin levels drop even though albumin synthesis isn’t acutely altered. In short, the increased volume lowers the apparent albumin concentration, rather than increasing it or leaving it unchanged.