Long-Term Studies on the Changes of Serum Protein Fractions in Patients with Cerebral Vascular Diseases

Abstract

Serum total protein and fraction of serum protein were determined in 93 patients with various cerebral vascular diseases over a period of 1 year.
We estimated serum level of total protein and fractions of serum protein to find the relationship with aging, blood pressure and electrocardiogram, followed by the estimation the changes of fractions of serum protein in both surviving and deceased patients.
1. The mean levels of serum total protein and albumin were found to decrease more profoundly in the group of over 50 years of age than the group of over 30-40 years of age and the mean levels of α₁, α₂ and β-globulin showed a slight rise with aging. γ-globulin was not particularly related to aging. The differences between the healthy adult group of 40 years of age and all patients were statistically significant; the former showed a serum total protein level and albumin level and an increase in α₁, α₂ and γ-globulin levels, but β-globulin level did not show a significant difference.
2. Patients showing electrocardiographic signs of coronary arteriosclerosis were found to have slightly increased albumin level. These findings were suggested to depend on aging.
3. In the deceased patients, serum total protein level and albumin level were found to be decreased around 7 months before death and were significantly decreased 1 month before death.
The results of the findings thus indicate that the changes of serum total protein level and fractions of serum protein in patients in old age were not related to cerebral vascular diseases and the significant decease in albumin levels in the deceases patients indicates poor prognosis in patients in old age.