Haptoglobin (HP) Test: MedlinePlus Medical Test

What is a haptoglobin (HP) test?

This test measures the amount of haptoglobin in the blood. Haptoglobin is a protein manufactured by your liver. It attaches to a particular kind of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is a protein in your crimson blood cells that carries oxygen from your lungs to the relaxation of your human body. Most hemoglobin is found within crimson blood cells, but smaller amounts flow into in the bloodstream. Haptoglobin binds to hemoglobin in the bloodstream. Together, the two proteins are acknowledged as the haptoglobin-hemoglobin sophisticated. This sophisticated is rapidly cleared from the bloodstream and removed from the human body by your liver.

When crimson blood cells are broken, they release far more hemoglobin into the bloodstream. That suggests far more of the haptoglobin-hemoglobin sophisticated will be cleared from the human body. The haptoglobin may possibly leave the human body faster than the liver can make it. This results in your haptoglobin blood ranges to drop. If your haptoglobin ranges are much too reduced, it may possibly be a sign of a condition of the crimson blood cells, this sort of as anemia.

Other names: hemoglobin-binding protein, HPT, Hp