Ketone Metabolism in Health and in Hepatic Disease I. Ketone Metabolism in Normal Subjects

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Abstract
The blood ketone concn. obtained by inanition was detd. on 25 normal individuals and on 27 patients with hepatic disease. In 3 days the concn. in normal individuals rose on an average from 3 mg.% beta-hydroxybutyric acid to 23.6 mg.% with considerable individual variation. The highest blood ketone values were found in the persons showing the lowest blood sugar concn. at the end of the inanition period. Similar results were obtained with the patients. Liver biopsy was performed on some of the hepatic patients at the end of the starvation period. In all these cases the hepatic tissue was found to be practically glycogen-free, while in contrast hereto the amt. of liver glycogen was found to be normal on ordinary diet. Alimentary ketonemia was investigated in 27 normal individuals and in 25 patients with hepatic lesions. The patients showed distinctly lower ketonemia than the normal individuals, presumably on account of incomplete or slow absorption from the intestinal tract.

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