[Intestinal clearance of alpha 1 anti-trypsin: a simple technique for diagnosis of protein losing enteropathy (author's transl)].
Until recently, to diagnose exsudative enteropathy required the use of radio-isotopes and a stay of several days in hospital. Alpha-1-antitrypsin can now be used as endogenous plasma marker and assayed in the serum and faeces by a simple immunochemical method, thus measuring its intestinal clearance. Fifteen healthy subjects and 13 patients with organic digestive diseases were investigated by this method. The mean clearance values were inferior to 10 ml/24 h in the control group and significantly higher in the patients' group. Digestive protein loss can therefore be diagnosed by the new method, which offers the additional advantages of being reliable, easy, relatively inexpensive and applicable to out-patients.
D004796:Clinical Enzyme Tests; D004066:Digestive System Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005243:Feces / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D012016:Reference Values; D000515:alpha 1-Antitrypsin / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*
D000515:alpha 1-Antitrypsin
Clairance intestinale de l'alpha 1. anti-trypsine: une technique simple de diagnostic des entéropathies exsudatives.