[Changes in plasma values of alpha-fetoprotein in subjects with prior acute hepatitis]

Plasma alpha-FP values were examined in patients with a prior acute hepatitis episode. One group had been examined during the active stage and were then seen 4-5 months after clinical cure. In the second group, the episode had occurred 2-22 yr previously. Liver performance was fully normal in all cases. No subject presented clinical or serological signs of persistence or recurrence. Values were above the normal mean +/- 2 S.D. in 10-13 cases in the first group and were pathological in 31-38 of the second. These differences were statistically significant with respect to a control series. Increased alpha-FP in acute hepatitis can be seen as the result of post-necrotic regeneration. Experimental data have shown that alpha-FP synthesis is peculiar to only a few liver cell clones. It may be deduced, therefore, that these clones are mainly concerned in the repair process and are thus present in greater numbers when it has been completed.