What term describes a congenital disorder characterized by a split in the albumin band on serum electrophoresis?

• A. Analbuminemia
• B. Anodic albuminemia
• C. Prealbuminemia
• D. Bisalbuminemia

Answer: (D)

In serum protein electrophoresis, albumin usually appears as a single, sharp band at the front of the pattern. If there are two different forms of albumin produced by one person—often due to a genetic variant—the albumin zone can split into two distinct bands. This phenomenon is known as bisalbuminemia. It reflects two albumin isoforms coexisting in the血, rather than a deficiency or absence of albumin or a mislabeling of another protein. Analbuminemia would show little to no albumin signal overall, not a split, while prealbuminemia refers to a different protein that migrates before albumin and isn’t about a band split. Anodic movement describes direction on the gel but doesn’t describe a split into two albumin bands. So the term for a congenital split of the albumin band is bisalbuminemia.