Korean J Hepatol.  1999 Sep;5(3):200-207.

Prevalence and Clinical Significance of Autoantibodies in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C

• Song BC
• Yang SH
• Chung YH
• Lee YS
• Suh DJ

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS
Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is often associated with extrahepatic autoimmune disease, and autoantibodies such as anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) or anti-smooth muscle antibody (ASA). The presence of autoantibodies may make discrimination between chronic hepatitis C with autoimmune features and type 1 autoimmune hepatitis difficult. We studied the prevalence of autoantibodies in patients with chronic HCV infection and their clinical significance.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
ANA, ASA, anti-mitochondrial antibody (AMA), anti-microsomal antibody (AmA), rheumatoid factor (RF), anti-cardiolipin antibody (aCL) and lupus anti-coagulant (LA) were tested in 116 patients (80 chronic hepatitis C, 36 liver cirrhosis). Genotypes of HCV were determined in 25 patients by INNO LiPA.
RESULTS
The overall prevalence of autoantibody was 65.5%. The most common autoantibody was aCL (34.5%), followed by ANA (25%), RF (18%), LA (15.5%), ASA (6.9%), anti-microsomal antibody (6%) and AMA (1%). The positive rate of either ANA or ASA was 30.2%, but both were positive in 1.7% only. There was no difference in the demographic features, biochemistry, HCV genotypes and disease status between autoantibody-positive and autoantibody-negative patients.
CONCLUSIONS
Autoantibodies were commonly found in patients with chronic HCV infection. But, the presence of autoantibodies may be a non-specific finding in chronic hepatitis C infection without clinical significance.

Keyword

Autoantibody; Hepatitis C virus

MeSH Terms

Autoantibodies*
Autoimmune Diseases
Biochemistry
Discrimination (Psychology)
Genotype
Hepacivirus
Hepatitis C, Chronic*
Hepatitis, Autoimmune
Hepatitis, Chronic*
Humans
Liver
Prevalence*
Rheumatoid Factor
Autoantibodies
Rheumatoid Factor