Transthyretin: Its response to malnutrition and stress injury. Clinical usefulness and economic implications

Serum transthyretin is an ideal marker for monitoring patients who are malnourished or have metabolic consequences of acute stress injury because it has a short halflife, it measures the level of metabolic deficit, the response to nutritional metabolic support, and because it is a prognostic indicator. Mounting clinical evidence indicates that the use of transthyretin to assess and monitor a patients nutritional status results in improved treatment outcomes and lower overall healthcare costs.