[Beta 2-microglobulin in the diagnosis of specific involvement of the kidneys in acute leukemias].

Measurements of the serum and urinary beta 2-microglobulin (beta 2-Mg) concentrations in 138 adult patients with various forms of acute leukemia, which were carried out in various periods of the disease, have revealed that serum beta 2-Mg levels were two times higher in the patients with leukemic involvement of the kidneys (5.54 +/- 3.50 mg/l) than in those without renal involvement (2.77 +/- 1.07 mg/l). Consequently, urinary beta 2-Mg excretion was much higher in the patients with renal involvement than in those with intact kidneys (1.512 +/- 3.222 mg/l vs. 0.388 +/- 1.175 mg/l). Mathematical analysis has shown that the risk of leukemic involvement of the kidneys makes up 93.3 percent in acute leukemia patients with serum beta 2-Mg levels surpassing 6.0 mg/l. This permitted a conclusion on the diagnostic value of beta 2-Mg measurements for the detection of specific involvement of the kidneys in acute leukemia.