Liver membrane antibodies in chronic delta hepatitis.
The correlation between the presence of liver membrane antibodies (LMA) and delta superinfection in chronic hepatitis B was studied in 136 chronic hepatitis patients, 20 hepatitis B surface antigen asymptomatic carriers and 50 healthy controls, by testing for the presence of LMA, hepatitis B virus markers and anti-delta (anti-HD). Neither anti-HD nor LMA were detected in controls or in asymptomatic carriers. LMA positivity was statistically higher (p less than 0.001) in anti-HD-positive patients than in those with no anti-HD. Gamma globulin and glutamic pyruvic transaminase values were increased both in anti-HD- and LMA-positive patients with respect to those who were negative. In conclusion, a close association between the positivity to anti-HD and the presence of circulating LMA was found.
de Torres
M
M
Department of Gastroenterology, Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Madrid, Spain.
Carreño
V
V
Bartolomé
J
J
Porres
J C
JC
Bas
C
C
Quiroga
J A
JA
Mora
I
I
D000328:Adult; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000276:immunology*; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D003699:Hepatitis D / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male
D001323:Autoantibodies; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens