Absence of beta-globulin band in the serum protein electropherogram of a patient with liver disease

Agarose-gel electrophoresis of serum of a 72-year-old woman with liver cirrhosis showed virtually no beta-globulins two weeks before the patient's death. There was marked decrease in the concentrations of transferrin, beta-lipoproteins, hemopexin, complement component C3, beta-glycoprotein I, and cholesterol in serum. Absence of a beta-globulin band appears to signify an ominous prognosis.