Urinary excretion of ten plasma proteins in patients with febrile diseases.

The 24-hour urinary excretion of albumin, transferrin, haptoglobin, IgG, IgA, IgM, free lambda and kappa light chains from immunoglobulin, lysozyme, and beta2-microglobulin has been investigated in 22 patients with febrile diseases, using an automated immunoprecipitin reaction. The average excretion of the 10 proteins was significantly increased in the patients compared with a control group. In patients with body temperature is greater than or equal to 38.5 degrees C the tubular type of proteinuria was significantly increased compared with those with body temperature is less than 38.5 degrees C. Sequential studies in 10 patients showed that the tubular type of proteinuria occurred in all, whereas the glomerular type was demonstrated in 8. when the fever had subsided, the tubular proteinuria disappeared rapidly i in all patients, while the glomerular proteinuria disappeared in only 4 out of 8. It was shown that tubular proteinuria was caused by fever per se, and it is suggested that glomerular prteinuria might be due to an immue response to antigens, derived from the infectious agents, producing a transient or permanent glomerular injury.