Comparative Studies of the β Disturbance of Electrophoretic Patterns in Disease

Summary

1. Electrophoretic patterns of approximately 1100 plasma and 500 serum samples have been examined for changes in the length of the β spike. These samples were obtained from normal children and adults and from patients with poliomyelitis, diabetes, rheumatic fever, arthritis, and liver disease. 2. Minor changes occurred in the average length of the β spike in electrophoretic patterns from plasma and serum when patients with disease were compared with normal individuals. These changes were also observed when patterns from patients with one disease were compared to patterns from other diseases. These changes were not marked enough to differentiate between diseases or between normal individuals and those with disease.