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Bioavailable Fraction Analysis

Meaning

This laboratory technique quantifies the portion of a hormone or other compound circulating in the bloodstream that is unbound to carrier proteins, thus being physiologically active. The bioavailable fraction represents the hormone pool readily accessible to target tissues to elicit a biological response. Understanding this specific fraction is critical because total hormone levels can often be misleading if the binding protein concentrations are atypical. Clinicians utilize this analysis to determine the true functional hormonal status, which correlates more accurately with patient symptoms and treatment efficacy than total measurements alone.