Relationship between increased serum
cobalamin level and
liver disease have been recently reported. In this work, levels of total
corrinoids,
cobalamin (
vitamin B12) and
cobalamin analogues and levels of
IgA were determined by
radioisotope dilution assay and nephelometric
laser analyses. They all have been measured in superior vena cava, inferior vena cava and hepatic vein of controls and of alcoholic cirrhotic patients grouped according to the Child-Pugh classification. Compared with normal subjects, venous blood content of total
corrinoids, of
cobalamin and of
IgA in alcoholic cirrhotics increased significantly with the severity of the disease (p less than 0.01). In severe, moderate, and mild
alcoholic cirrhosis total
corrinoids and
cobalamin were, respectively, about 5-, 2-, and 1.5-fold higher than in controls, whereas
IgA was 3-, 2.5- and 1.5-fold higher, respectively. The serum
IgA level was significantly correlated with the level of seric saturated
haptocorrin (r = 0.54; p less than 0.01) and with the seric total
corrinoids (r = 0.39; p less than 0.01). In the absence of significant hepatic cytolysis, the enhanced level of seric
corrinoids in
cirrhosis could be partly explained by a competitive inhibition of the liver uptake of
haptocorrin by circulating
asialoglycoproteins, including
IgA.