[Adenosine deaminase (ADA)--biologic and medical-diagnostic significance]

The determination of the ADA activity was only of importance in special affections, as for instance typhus, epidemic jaundice, active liver cirrhosis till now, where high enzyme activities are measured. Nevertheless this enzyme is also useful for the pathogenetic classification of hyperuricemia, the elucidation of immunoaffections of obscure etiology, and, above all, of the genetic ADA defect. Our results show that the determination of the ADA activity enables some declaration for the therapy and the control of progress of the acute and the chronic leukemia. Investigations of the distribution in the organs and age-dependence in animals emphasize the great biological importance of this enzyme in the metabolism, where much questions are open till now.