Ceruloplasmin activity has been studied in normal subjects and in
patients suffering from early and advanced cirrhosis, acute hepatitis, hepatic neoplasms
and in hepatic coma. A significant increase in oxidase activity was observed
only in neoplastic conditions. Serum oxidase activity can fall to very low levels in
the advanced cirrhosis and may disappear almost entirely in the patients in hepatic
coma. This progressive reduction in oxidase activity might be expression of the
failure of the synthetic functions of the liver, which occurs in severe liver disease.
The finding of a low level of ceruloplasmin does not in any case seem to be particular
to Wilson's disease. No changes in the electrophoretic mobility of the enzyme have
been observed in any of the pathological cases studied.