Beta-2-microglobulin levels in the cerebrospinal fluid: their value as a disease marker. A review of the recent literature.

The usefulness of measuring beta 2-microglobulin levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in neurological diseases is discussed and the relevant literature is reviewed in this article. An elevation of this protein in the CSF is particularly indicative of disease activity in multiple sclerosis, neuro-Behçet's disease, sarcoidosis, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-dementia complex and meningeal metastasis of malignant tumors, especially the meningeal dissemination of acute leukemia and malignant lymphoma.