Patients suffering from liver cirrhosis have an impaired ability to synthesise plasma proteins, such as albumin, in the hepatocytes. This results in a clinical condition called hypoalbuminaemia, where the concentration of albumin in the blood plasma is significantly lower than normal, leading to a severe accumulation of tissue fluid (oedema) in the limbs and abdomen.
Explain how a reduced concentration of plasma proteins in the blood leads to this accumulation of tissue fluid.
