The effect of human plasma transfusion on the fecal urobilinogen excretion on sickle cell anemia.

I. y EUGENE KAPLAN,* M.D. , AND S. ROBERT LEWIS, M.D. I N 1938, Josephsla.b reported a phenomenon occurring in children with hemolytic anemia: fecal urobilinogen excretion was observed to decrease following either blood transfusions, plasma injections or injections of concentrates of human or pig plasma. These decreases were of variable degree, occurred within a week of treatment, and lasted up to three weeks. Changes in the levels of red blood cells or hemoglobin were slight or absent. Infection accompanied by erythroblastosis appeared to interfere with this phenomenon. Since the original report, this observation has not been confirmed. The present report deals with observations on children with sickle cell anemia in which we have attempted to confirm and study further the presence of an antihemolytic factor in plasma by means of fecal urobilinogen excretion.