HYPERGAMMAGLOBULINEMIA IN PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS

Abstract

THE LEVEL of gamma globulin in the serum is elevated in chronic inflammatory conditions even though the disease may be localized in a single organ. This has been related to the antibody response on the part of the host. However, this excess gamma globulin is by no means all antibody but is rather an "inert reaction globulin,"¹ which is only one expression of a generalized nonspecific reaction involving many organs. The availability of newer and simpler biochemical methods and biopsy techniques makes it possible to try to correlate structural and functional alterations in the living patient. This study represents the attempt to find the remote structural changes in pulmonary tuberculosis which are related to the level of the gamma globulin in the serum. In addition, the significance of serum gamma globulin elevation in estimating the extent of the nonspecific host reaction in the liver is evaluated. MATERIAL AND METHODS