ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to get help in order to diagnose orthopaedic disease, measure its activity and determine treatment plan by measuring the beta-glucuronidase activity in urine, serum and joint fluid. METHODS: The beta-glucuronidase activity was determined in the serum, urine and joint fluid of the patients with degenerative arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteomyelitis and osteogenic sarcoma, and some other disease to study the change of the enzyme activity. These values of each specimen were calculated by standard curve and treated by statistical analysis. RESULTS: The results obtained were summarized as follows. 1. The beta-glucuronidase activity in the serum, urine and joint fluid was increased in patients with degenerative arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteomyelitis and osteogenic sarcoma etc. 2. The increased beta-glucuronidase activity in the serum and joint fluid of each disease does not show a specific finding about respective disease, but the increased beta-glucuronidase activity was statistically significant in the urine of all disease groups(male:p=0. 0041, female:p=0. 0001). CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of these results, it was suggested that beta-glucuronidase activity was affected by the orthopaedic disease and differed according to each specimen.