[The liver and rheumatoid arthritis]

The present paper deals with the relation of rheumatoid arthritis to hepatic diseases. Rheumatoid arthritis is regarded as a general disease though the predominant articular symptoms are also accompanied by changes in other organs. Rheumatoid arthritis includes distinct dysproteinemia conditioning the positivity of the flocculation tests. This dysproteinemia is not identical with that found in hepatic diseases. The level of serum mucoproteids in case of liver damage is always lower and in rheumatoid arthritis higher. The elevated mucoprotein level makes the serum more resistant to flocculation, but his protective influence is only restricted and the flocculation cannot even be prevented by the considerably higher mucoproteid level of pronounced dysproteinemia. The specific nature of hepatic involvement could not be proved so far.