title: High incidence of antibodies to hepatitis C virus in alcoholic cirrhosis: fact or fiction?
abstract: An enzyme immunoassay (Ortho-HCV ELISA) for antibodies against the hepatitis C virus was used to test serum samples from 39 patients with alcoholic cirrhosis and 34 patients with alcoholic hepatitis or fatty liver. The frequency of a positive result in the cirrhotics was significantly higher than in the alcoholics without cirrhosis (38.5% vs 8.8%, P less than 0.01). However, the positive results in the cirrhotics were associated with high gammaglobulin concentrations, and optical density values in the assay correlated closely with serum globulin (r = 0.73, P less than 0.01). The findings suggest that serum from patients with alcoholic cirrhosis may contain a component that give false-positive results in the assay.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine (Gastroenterology), Robert-Bosch-Krankenhaus, Stuttgart, Germany.
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Bode
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Biermann
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Kohse
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bode
mesh_terms: D001706:Biopsy; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005235:Fatty Liver, Alcoholic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000276:immunology*; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D006519:Hepatitis, Alcoholic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008104:Liver Cirrhosis, Alcoholic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies