Sequential changes in plasma proteins in various acute diseases

Abstract

The increase in the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) has long been used as a measure of the intensity of the systemic effect of inflammation. As fibrinogen, the immunoglobulins and β-lipoprotein influence the height of the ESR, the clinician requires more specific information. Since the introduction of methods for determination of specific plasma proteins, attention has been focussed on the concentration of only one, or at most a few, of these proteins in various acute diseases. In Professor Laurell’s laboratory in Malmö we have tested a battery of specific proteins in a series of diseases to study its potential clinical diagnostic value. A question that has interested us is whether the inflammatory response varies in intensity with the tissue affected. Because of the limited time available, I will confine myself to the proteins, which are the topic of today’s session, i.e. the acute phase proteins. Here I include only those which increase rapidly in acute conditions, i.e. C-reactive protein (CRP), antichymotrypsin, α_l-antitrypsin (α_l-AT), orosomucoid, haptoglobin and fibrinogen.