Polymorphic acetylation and aminopyrine demethylation in Gilbert's syndrome

Abstract

Polymorphic acetylation was investigated in 27 patients with Gilbert''s syndrome using the sulfadimidine test. The finding of 51% slow acetylators in 78 control persons agreed well with the expected frequency in a continental European population, but the prevalence of slow acetylators in Gilbert''s syndrome was increased to 78% (P < 0.03). After oral administration of 14C-aminopyrine there was no significant difference between 17 patients with Gilbert''s syndrome and 27 normal controls in total plasma clearance of aminopyrine (280 .+-. SD 100 and 270 .+-. 60 ml/min) and in the disappearance curve of 14CO2 in breath (0.23 .+-. 0.04 and 0.22 .+-. 0.03 h-1, respectively). Whereas aminopyrine metabolism appears unaffected in the examined patients, the data documents a new association between slow acetylator status and Gilbert''s syndrome.