Serum Angiotensin-I-Converting Enzyme And Lysozyme Levels In Untreated And Unsplenectomized Patients With Hodgkins-Disease

Serum angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (S-ACE) is elevated in active sarcoidosis. In Hodgkin's disease (HD) there are few reports with different and contrasting results. We studied S-ACE in 23 healthy controls and in 18 untreated and unsplenectomized patients with HD. In the same cases we studied also serum lysozyme. Lysozyme concentration was significantly higher in HD patients compared with normal controls (p less than 0.01) and was independent of stage, systemic symptoms and presence of mediastinal involvement. S-ACE activity in HD patients was lower than in healthy controls, but not significantly. The correlation coefficient between the two enzymes showed that there was no significant correlation both in controls and in patients.