URINARY 5-METHOXYTRYPTAMINE IN PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATIC FEVER*

Abstract

A previously unreported excretory product, 5-methoxytryptamine, has been found in the urine of 48 rheumatic subjects, and in the urine of only one out of 33 nonrheumatic subjects. This product quadrupled in quantity on tryptophan loading. Details of the isolation procedure and identification tests used are presented. In children with rheumatic heart disease and rheumatic fever, the urinary excretion of a number of tryptophan-nicotinic acid metabolites was normal, with the exception of a reduced indoxylsulfate excretion. The significance and metabolic implications of these findings are reviewed. The possible value of identification of 5-methoxytryptamine in the urine, as an aid to the diagnosis of rheumatic fever, is discussed.