title: IgA deposits in skin in alcoholic liver disease.
abstract: IgA deposition in the liver in a characteristic continuous pattern is a consistent finding confirming the diagnosis of alcoholic liver disease. This study demonstrates a correlation between characteristic IgA deposition in the liver and IgA deposition in and around superficial dermal capillaries in alcoholic liver disease. Simultaneous liver and skin biopsies from nineteen patients with established alcoholic liver disease and eight patients with nonalcohol-related diseases of the liver were studied using standard immunofluorescent and immunoperoxidase methods. Fourteen of the nineteen alcoholic patients showed the characteristic pattern of IgA deposition in the liver, twelve of these fourteen patients showed IgA deposits in and around superficial dermal capillaries, and of these twelve patients, nine showed concurrent deposits of C3 in the skin capillaries. None of the eight nonalcoholic control patients showed either characteristic liver IgA deposits or any dermal deposits. Biopsy of clinically normal skin can be of adjunctive aid in the confirmation of alcoholic liver disease.
mesh_terms: D001706:Biopsy; D003176:Complement C3 / Q000032:analysis; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000032:analysis*; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008108:Liver Diseases, Alcoholic / Q000276:immunology*; D012867:Skin / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D003176:Complement C3; D007070:Immunoglobulin A