Latent Liver Disease in Persons Recovered from Catarrhal Jaundice and in Otherwise Normal Medical Students as Revealed by the Bilirubin Excretion Test.

The frequency with which chronic non-hemolytic jaundice occurs in otherwise healthy young persons is not commonly recognized, nor 'is it usually appreciated how often an uncomplicated attack of catarrhal jaundice is followed by residual liver dysfunction which persists long after the acute episode. The present study was prompted by the accidental discovery of a relatively large number of medical students with chronic jaundice and a history of a previous attack of catarrhal jaundice in two of them. A group of persons long recovered from catarrhal jaundice was investigated and also a control group of persons presumably normal. The bilirubin excretion test was used in all cases because of its reliability in detecting lesser degrees of liver dysfunction.