[The heteroglycan profile of acute phase proteins in the differentiation of inflammatory processes].

In the last few years, several studied concerning an alternation in pattern of glycosylation of acute phase protein (APP) have been carried out in human sera, using especially affinity electrophoresis with lectins. Significant differences in the profile of glycosylation of APP in sera of patients with "acute" (e.g., sepsis) and "chronic" (e.g., rheumatic arthritis) inflammation have been observed, which suggest that the determination of microheterogeneity of APP appears to be a very useful differentiating test in clinical rheumatology.