title: Hepatitis B surface antigen and immunoglobulin M complexes in chronic carriers and patients with acute and chronic liver diseases.
abstract: To determine the incidence and significance of circulating complexes between hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and immunoglobulin M (IgM), a total of 152 Nigerian adults with acute or chronic liver diseases were studied. They were compared with 100 chronic HBsAg carriers and 20 healthy volunteers. In HBsAg carriers HBsAg-IgM complexes persisted in 10% over a period of 6 months. In 53 cases of acute hepatitis B, 79% acute phase sera had detectable complexes. This initial incidence fell to 15% at 6 months. In the group of chronic liver diseases, the detection of HBsAg-IgM complexes occurred relatively infrequently. Circulating HBsAg-IgM complexes were associated with the presence of hepatitis B e antigen and a higher predisposition to chronicity after acute hepatitis. It is concluded that the presence of these complexes is specific to hepatitis B virus infections and may predict evolution to chronic liver diseases in Nigerians.
authors.affiliation: Liver Unit, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Ayoola
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Olubuyide
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002353:Carrier State / Q000276:immunology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000276:immunology*; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009549:Nigeria
chemical_list: D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D007075:Immunoglobulin M