[The serum prealbumin significance in differential diagnosis of the liver diseases (author's transl)].

We investigated the serum prealbumin by the immuno-diffusion method quantitatively according to the method of Manzini in 20 normal persons, 30 patients with hepatitis virosa acuta, 24 patients with hepatitis chronica and 11 patients with cirrhosis of the liver. The serum prealbumin was significantly decreased in patients with hepatitis acuta virosa, hepatitis chronica aggressiva and in cirrhosis of the liver, but in the patients with the hepatitis chronica persistens the serum prealbumin levels were normal or little increased. According to our results we concluded that the determination of serum prealbumin is important only for the differential diagnosis between the hepatitis chronica aggressiva and hepatitis chronica persistens. However these determinations are not of values in the differential diagnosis between hepatitis chronica aggressiva and cirrhosis of the liver.