The Electrophoretic Analyses of the Serum Proteins in Diseases of the Liver

Electrophoretic Studies in Liver Disease. I. Comparison of Serum and Plasma Electrophoretic Patterns in Liver Disease, With Special Reference to Fibrinogen and Gamma Globulin Patterns 12

“…This increase was most marked in cirrhosis, less so in hepatitis and least in obstructive jaundice and miscellaneous group. These findings are in agreement with those of previous authors (10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19) (Tables I and III). Figure 1 reveals the cause of this significant discrepancy between serum and plasma gamma globulin values.…”

“…The albumin changes in liver disease and rheumatoid arthritis (Table I) were similar to those reported by others (10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19).…”

“…Beta globulins (Table I) were increased in liver diseases as others have found (13)(14)(15). The relative percentage values in serum and plasma vary significantly but after they are converted to absolute values the variation loses its significance and does not exceed the limits of error of the method.…”

“…Reports in the literature differ as to the fate of alpha globulins in liver disease, some workers reporting irregular increases (13,14) while others found no change (15,21). Gutman (23) believes that there is an association between increased alpha globulin and decreased gamma globulin values.…”

Clinical Application of a Simple Method for Estimating “Gamma Globulin” 1

“…Even single determinations, however, in selected instances, when taken in conjunction with other clinical studies, may offer useful information. For example, in cirrhosis of the liver, the gamma globulin is greatly increased whereas in livers involved with metastatic carcinoma, this fraction is not increased (18). The finding of an elevated rather than a reduced gamma globulin content in the nephrotic syndrome suggests an acute exacerbation of the renal disease (10).…”