[The antistreptolysin reaction with and without dextran sulfate addition in various diseases].

It is reported on the results of determinations of the antistreptolysin titre in patients with infectious hepatitis, renal and essential hypertension, mitral stenosis, acute tonsillitis, scarlet fever, rheumatic fever as well as rheumatoid arthritis according to the usual and the dextran sulphate absorption method in altogether 739 patients. Here as in a former publication in 1,700 normal persons partly considerable significant differences between the antistreptolysin titre with and without dextran sulphate were found. The two techniques are discussed, also the influence of the beta-lipoproteins with their proportion of phosphatide on the result of the antistreptolysin titre. It is possible to absorb beta-lipoproteins and perhaps also phosphatides with the help of the addition of dextran sulphate. The present investigations show unequivocally that the absorption the dextran sulphate is a necessary demand which saves the clinician from diagnostic and therapeutic errors. The antistreptolysin reaction is to be regarded only as one constituent for the clinical diagnosis and must not be overvalued in its importance.