[Lipoprotein pattern in acute and chronic liver disease (author's transl)]

Lipoprotein electrophoresis with measurement of serum lipids was performed on 115 patients with various forms of liver disease. There was a reduction in alpha-lipoproteins and an increase in beta-lipoproteins, as well as a reduced separability of pre-beta and beta fractions in those with acute viral hepatitis. All these changes regressed completely with healing. Similar changes were shown also in chronic liver disease and were most marked in acute liver failure, but also marked in decompensated liver cirrhosis and chronic progressive hepatitis, while less marked in chronic persistent hepatitis and compensated liver cirrhosis. In patients with fatty livers there were no characteristic findings other than a slight increase in pre-beta lipoproteins. On the other hand, the lipoprotein pattern was markedly changed in cases with tumour in the region of the gallbladder, but similar changes were noted also with tumours at other sites. They are, therfore, unlikely to be liver-specific.