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What is an immunofixation blood test?
An immunofixation (IFE) blood test measures the number and type of proteins in your blood. Proteins have many important functions, including giving your body energy, rebuilding muscles, and helping your immune system. There are different types of proteins, and each one has a different job for your body. This test checks to see if your body is making or losing too much of certain proteins. Your body might make too much or too little protein if you have certain health conditions.
There are two main types of proteins in the blood: albumin and globulin. Albumin makes up most of the protein in the blood, while the rest are called globulin.
The immunofixation blood test uses a process called electrophoresis to separate the proteins into subgroups. The subgroups are based on their size, shape, and electrical charge. Measuring the number of proteins in each subgroup can help check for different health conditions.
The protein subgroups are:
Albumin
Alpha-1 globulin
Alpha-2 globulin
Beta globulin
Gamma globulin
Other names: serum protein electrophoresis (SPEP), protein electrophoresis, SPE, immunofixation electrophoresis, IFE, serum immunofixation
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