Phenazone metabolism in patients with liver disease

Abstract

Phenazone metabolism was studied in 14 patients with liver disease and six normal volunteers. The plasma and renal clearance of phenazone and the 4-hydrozyphenazone excretion in urine was significantly decreased in the patients with liver disease. The urinary excretion of 4-hydroxyphenazone was significantly correlated to the plasma clearance of phenazone (r= + 0.95, P less than 0.001), to quantitative liver function as measured by the galactose elimination capacity (r= + 0.95, P less than 0.001), and to the prothrombin values (r= + 0.82, P less than 0.001). The determination of the 4-hydroxyphenazone excretion in urine may be used as an easy and non-invasive test of quantitative liver function.