Wallach's Interpretation of Diagnostic Tests: Pathways to Arriving at a Clinical Diagnosis (1181 page)

   Multiple sclerosis

   Cerebral hemorrhage

   Epilepsy

   Acute alcoholism

   Neurosyphilis

Decreased In

   Repeated lumbar puncture or a chronic leak, in which CSF is lost at a higher than normal rate

   Some children between the ages of 6 months and 2 years

   Acute water intoxication

   Minority of patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension

   Limitations

   CSF protein levels do not fall in hypoproteinemia.

   The normal reference ranges is somewhat technique dependent and vary from laboratory to laboratory.

   Excessive amounts of CSF proteins are seen in Froin syndrome, clotted specimens, xanthochromia, or the presence of free blood.

   In premature infants, values >130 mg/dL may occasionally be observed.