THE PLASMA CONCENTRATIONS OF FREE AND PROTEIN-BOUND CORTISOL IN HYPOPROTEINAEMIA

Abstract

SUMMARY The plasma level and percentage of bound cortisol were measured in sixteen African subjects with hypoproteinaemia of varying aetiologies. When compared with a control group it was found that the percentage of the steroid bound was significantly reduced but that the total cortisol level did not differ from that found in the control subjects. This resulted in a significant increase in the absolute level of free cortisol in the hypoproteinaemic subjects. Attention is drawn to the striking similarity between many of the physical and biochemical changes seen in kwashiorkor and those found in Cushing's syndrome.