1988 Volume 29 Issue 3 Pages 315-320
Serum adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity was measured in patients with various liver diseases, and the values were compared with liver function tests, serum levels of type III procollagen peptide (P III P) and liver histology. Compared to normal controls, ADA activities were significantly higher in patients with acute hepatitis, chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis (LC), hepatocellular carcinoma and primary biliary cirrhosis. ADA activities were positively correlated with glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, P III P and γ-globurin levels and were inversely correlated with cholinesterase and lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase activities. ADA activities were significantly higher in chronic active hepatitis compared with chronic inactive hepatitis, and in decompensative LC as compared with compensative LC. The histological examinations showed that ADA activities were well correlated with the degree of liver fibrosis and inflammation. Thus, serum ADA activities in patients with liver diseases showed hepatocellular damage in acute hepatitis and histological severities in chronic liver disease, especially degrees of hepatic fibrosis.
