Serum hydroxyproline and hydroxylysine levels in patients with decompensated cirrhosis.

An increase in total (72.67-8.24 mumol/l) and free (14.14-1.97 mumol/l) hydroxyproline and total (7.16-0.72 mumol/l) and free (1.06-0.24 mumol/l) hydroxylysine was found in the serum of 30 patients with decompensated hepatic cirrhosis as compared to the values in 40 healthy subjects (48.70-5.89; 8.41-4.73; 4.34-2.71; 0.77-0.25 mumol/l, respectively). The results were not related to total serum protein concentration. The level of peptide-bound hydroxyproline and peptide-bound hydroxylysine was significantly higher in cirrhotic patients despite the decrease in serum protein content.