1. Value of determination of beta 2-microglobulin in toxic nephropathy and interstitial nephritis.
- Author
-
Statius van Eps LW and Schardijn GH
- Subjects
- Aminoglycosides poisoning, Cadmium Poisoning diagnosis, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 urine, Diatrizoate Meglumine, Gallium Radioisotopes, Glomerular Filtration Rate, Humans, Kidney diagnostic imaging, Kidney Diseases chemically induced, Male, Middle Aged, Pyelonephritis urine, Radionuclide Imaging, Urinary Tract Infections diagnosis, Kidney Diseases metabolism, Nephritis, Interstitial metabolism, beta 2-Microglobulin urine
- Abstract
Beta 2-microglobulin (beta 2-m) is a low molecular weight protein of importance in the evaluation of the reabsorptive capacity of the proximal kidney tubule. This is based on the properties of beta 2-m: the daily production is constant and it leaves the body almost exclusively by glomerular filtration; 99.9% of the filtered amount is reabsorbed by the proximal tubule. The urinary excretion of beta 2-m is elevated (greater than 370 micrograms/day) in patients suffering from proximal tubular dysfunction with disturbance of tubular reabsorption. It is of great value as a marker of tubular involvement in toxic nephropathies, interstitial nephritis and the non-invasive method of choice to distinguish between renal and lower urinary tract infections.
- Published
- 1984