Observations on the electrophoretic and immunoelectrophoretic appearance of the prealbumin region in biological fluids.

Variations in the level of prealbumin in serum and spinal fluid were noted on routine electrophoresis. Low serum levels were associated with infection, liver disorders, and malignant disease, whereas high levels were seen in inflammatory disorders. A high spinal fluid prealbumin was noted in a young child with a disseminated medulloblastoma. A second arc with prealbumin mobility was seen on immunoelectrophoresis of one urine specimen and four sera from patients with varied pathologies. Sixteen duplicated arcs were seen in the spinal fluid of patients with neoplastic disorders, multiple sclerosis, suspected multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, cerebellar and cerebral atrophy, and chronic renal failure.