Serum Protein Profiles in Psoriasis and Arthritis

A study has been conducted to determine the serum protein abnormalities in patients with associated psoriasis and arthritis in order to determine whether any fraction reflects clinical activity of this disease. An attempt has been made to determine the relationship between the severity and duration of the psoriasis and arthritis and certain laboratory determinations known to be of value in determining the activity of various inflammatory diseases, such as seromucoid, seromucoid hexose, total serum protein and glycoprotein and their electrophoretic fractions, and C-reactive protein. Davis 1 in 1936 subjected the serum of 15 patients with advanced rheumatoid arthritis to the fractionation procedure of Howe. He noted a moderate decrease in albumin and an increase in globulin. The first electrophoretic studies in rheumatoid arthritis were performed by the Tiselius apparatus, but in the past 10 years paper electrophoresis has been utilized because of the greater simplicity of the technique. Svartz 2