beta 2-Microglobulin in cerebrospinal fluid from children with different diseases.

Beta 2-microglobulin concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were measured in a prospective study on 56 children 0-12 years old. In all the patients with virus meningitis values of beta 2-microglobulin exceeded 3000 micrograms/l (x = 10.825 micrograms/l). The highest value (48.096 micrograms/l) of beta 2-microglobulin in CSF was found in a 13-day-old infant with serious herpes simplex meningitis. The value was 50 times the values in normal children. None of the patients with fever of other origin had values exceeding 3500 micrograms/l, except for one patient with facial nerve paresis and 3 patients with sepsis. Some correlation between the concentrations of beta 2-microglobulin and albumin was found in the diagnostic groups as a whole, while this correlation disappeared when considering each patient individually. The significance of beta 2-microglobulin as a guide in serious infections is discussed.