Serum alpha1 antitrypsin level in rheumatic fever with and without residual valvular lesions

Serum level of alpha 1 antitrypsin was estimated in 60 patients who developed rheumatic fever, in addition to 10 normal persons with mached age and sex [regarded as control]. The sixty patients were divided into two groups. The first group were 20 patients with previous history of rheumatic fever but with no evidence of residual cardiac affection, and a group II of 40 patients with rheumatic cardiac affection [valve lesions]. The mean alpha 1 antitrypsin [234.1 +/- 71.95 mg/dl] for group 1 of patients was lower than that for control group [250.1 +/- 11.46 mg/dl], yet the change was not statistically significant. The mean alpha 1 antitrypsin for group II of patient was [306.3 +/- 83.63 mg/dl] which was statistically significantly higher than that of both control group and the patients of group 1