[The beta 2-microglobulin content of the blood serum and urine in patients with primary chronic and lupus glomerulonephritis].

The authors studied the content of beta 2-microglobulin (beta 2-MG) in the blood serum and its excretion with the urine in 85 patients with chronic and 35 with lupoid glomerulonephritis (CGN and LGN) depending on the activity of the disease and state of the renal function. In active CGN and LGN one could observe a distinct increase of the content of beta 2-MG in the blood serum and an increase of its excretion with the urine that may be related to presence of marked dystrophic changes of the canalicular apparatus of the kidneys leading to disorders of reabsorption and beta 2-MG catabolism as well as disorders of the immune homeostasis revealed in these diseases. Results indicate that the beta 2-MG levels in the blood serum and urine may be considered as criteria of CGN and LGN activity.