BispebjergHospital_1913-38

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Summary. 24 cases of a certain condition of chronic, intermittent, very slight jaundice in young individuals have been observed and followed up. In some cases this condition appeared in brothers and sisters of the same family. In all the cases jaundice was very slight, presenting itself only as a slight yellowish tinge in the sclerotics or in the skin. The icterus index varied from 7 to 25 . The urine was pale, only now and again containing urobilin. The colour of the stools was normal. There was not any itching of the skin. The jaundice persisted for decades, the intensity varying and being accentuated by intercurrent diseases, such as gastro-intestinal trouble, slight colds, overwork, lack of sleep, etc. The only subjective symptoms of the more icteric periods was fatigue. It is not justifiable to look upon the condition as a larvate chronic familial acholuric jaundice, as the spleen is not enlarged, the fra­ gility of the red blood cells not increased, nor has microcytosis nor increase in reticulocyte count been demonstrated. Neither is it justifiable to look upon it as chronic hepatitis, as acute hepatitis was not a precursor in any case, nor were exacerba­ tions observed. The character of the condition is perfectly benign. Probably it is the same condition as was originally described by Gilbert under the name »Cholémie simple familiale« or »Cholémie physiologique«, and which has since been observed by different other authors and has been described under various other names. The present author suggests the name »Icterus intermittens juvenilis« as most appropriate. Litteratur. Bang, Olaf: Sur l’urobilinurie norm ale. A cta med. scand. Suppl. 1926. 16. 554. Klinische U robilinstudien. D oktordisputats. Cappelens Forlag. Oslo. 1929. (Samme: A cta m ed. scand. Suppl. 1929. 29. 9.) — v. d. Bergh, H ijmans: D er Gallenfarbstoff im Blute, v an Doesburgh. Leiden. 1918. Jo h an n Ambrosius B arth. Leipzig. 1918. — Eppinger, H .: Die hepatolienalen E rkrankungen. Julius Springer. Berlin, 1920. — Gilbert, A . 6s Lereboullet, P .: L a cholémie simple fam iliale. Gaz. hebd. de med. 1902. 49. 889. Sur la téneur en bilirubine du serum sanguin dans la cholémie simple familiale. C om pt.rend. Soc. debiol. 1905. 58. 937. franc. 1910.(mars). 110. L a cholémie simple fam iliale,son im portance en pathologie. J . med. Gilbert, A ., Lereboullet, P . & Herscher, P . : Les trois cholémies congénitales, B ull.et mem . Soc. med. hôp. de Paris. 1907. 24. 1203. — Gänsslen, M ., Zipper- len, E. db Schüz, E .: Die hämolytische K onstitution. D eut. Arch. klin. Med. 1925. 146. 1. — Meulengracht, E .: Den kliniske B etydning af Undersøgelsen for Galdefarvestof i Serum. Ugeskr f.Læg. 1919.81.1785. Die klinische B edeutung d. U ntersuchung für Gallenfarbstoff im Serum . D eut. Arch. klin. Med. 1920. 132. 285. — Mogena, H. G.: The clinical significance of hyperbilirubinem ia. L ancet. 1929. I. 1187. — Polach, E .: Chronic hepatitis in young persons, w ith or w ithout in term itten t jaundice. A cta m ed. scand. 1937. 93. 614. — Rozen- daal, H. M ., Comfort, M . W. da Snell, A . M .: Slight and laten t jaundice. Jo u rn . am. med. ass. 1935. 104. 374. — Scheel, O.: G aldereaktion i Blodserum og dens kliniske Betydning. Norsk Mag. f. Lægevid. 1911. 5 R k. 9 Bd. 173. — Weber, F. P .: Congenital jaundice in m an. Proc. Roy. Soc. Med. (Clin. Sect.). 1927. 21. 3. A hemolutic jaundice fam ily. In tern a t. Clin. 1931. 3. 148.