Serum proteins in diseases of the liver.

In 9 groups of liver diseases, 11 serum protein parameters were studied. Prealbumin, retinol-binding protein, albumin, alpha-lipoprotein and Normotest (NT) were usually highly intercorrelated and separated best among groups with different types of functional impairment. Haptoglobin, C3 and total iron-binding capacity were probably also sometimes reduced by restricted protein synthesis but appeared to be more easily affected by other factors, alpha1-antitrypsin was often increased in different liver diseases, but a pattern compatible with the "acute-phase reaction" was regularly present only in hepatic tumors. Bile retention was often accompanied by relatively high levels of ceruloplasmin, C3, and alpha-lipoprotein and by high NT values.