Excretion of 5-Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid in Normal and Pathological Conditions In order to investigate the metabolism of 5-hydroxytryptamine, the daily urinary excretion of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid was studied in 48 normal subjects and in 181 patients with various diseases: arterial hypertension, renal insufficiency, liver diseases, various types of tumours, carcinoids, haemorrhagic syndromes, haemochromatosis, recent myocardial infarction, bronchial asthma. Only in one case of functioning carcinoid was there found a significant increase in the urinary content of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid; in renal insufficiency and in haemochromatosis the values of the daily urinary excretion were constantly below normal. In the other diseases studied the excretion values were quite similar to those found in normal subjects.
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