Simultaneous studies of serum and urinary proteins for evaluation and diagnosis of glomerular damages in proteinuric patients.

Simultaneous studies of serum and urinary proteins in 294 adult proteinuric patients are presented. Our data showed that these studies can provide valuable guides for clinical diagnosis. In the group of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome, hypoalbuminemia, hypogammaglobulinemia and hyper-alpha 2 globulinemia were most marked. Urinary protein electrophoresis (PEP) showed a well-selective pattern with albumin and beta globulin as the main constituents. In the other groups of proteinuric patients the hypoalbuminemia and hyper-alpha 2 globulinemia were milder and urinary PEP generally showed non-selective pattern. In the groups of acute glomerulonephritis and lupus nephropathy, C3 was generally decreased; polyclonal gammopathy was frequently encountered and alpha 1 acid glycoprotein was markedly increased. In the cases of chronic glomerulonephritis and diabetic nephropathy and the levels of gamma globulin, C3 and alpha 2 acid glycoprotein were usually within normal limits. Urinary protein selectivity index in this series of adult patients was not a useful diagnostic parameter.