Serum levels of C3 and cholinesterase in various diseases of the liver.

The levels of C3, cholinesterase, albumin and prothrombin were determined in 46 patients (27 males and 19 females) - 26 with cirrhosis of the liver, 9 with acute hepatitis, 6 with chronic aggressive hepatitis, 1 with chronic persistent hepatitis and 4 with fatty liver. In all patients and, particularly in those with cirrhotic liver, it was shown that the normal or pathological level of serum C 3 is related both qualitatively and quantitatively to the normal or pathological levels of cholinesterase, albumin, and prothrombin. The percentage in which the levels of these four parameters were pathological was considerably higher in the cases with hepatic coma than in the cases without hepatic coma. The determination of the range of confidence for the 4 parameters showed that, in the patients with hepatic coma, cholinesterase reacted most sensitively to liver damage (0.5 - 0.94) followed by C3 and prothrombin (0.33 - 0.81). Also in the cases without hepatic coma, cholinesterase was the most sensitive indicator (0.05 - 0.29), followed by prothrombin (0.03 - 0.24), albumin and C3 (0.00-0.16).