Serum Alpha-l-Fetoprotein IN HEPATO

serum level of alpha fetoprotein (AFP) was measuredin 10 normal adult subjects, 23 patients with hepatosplenicBilharziasis and 21 patients with viral hepatitis. Using aRIA procedure, AFP was detected in very small amount(<:30 ng/ml) in the sera of normal adult subjects. Thisindicates that the adult liver retains the capacity tosynthesise this alpha-I-globulin which is normally presentin the serum of the developing fetus and pathologically inprimary hepatic tumors and entodermal tumors.While 24% of the viral hepatitis cases showed increaseserum levels of this protein ()30 ng/ml) not a single caseof bilharzial group showed a raised level (Figure 5).