Clinical study of IgA antibody against hepatitis C virus core antigen in patients with type C chronic liver disease.
Immunoglobulin A class antibody to hepatitis C virus core antigen (IgA anti-HCc) was measured in the serum of 128 patients with type C chronic liver disease. Fifty-eight patients (45.3%) were seropositive. IgA anti-HCc was detected in only one of 20 patients with chronic persistent hepatitis; however, 52.3% (46/88) of patients with chronic active hepatitis and 55% (11/20) of patients with liver cirrhosis were seropositive. Histological examination revealed that 22 (71.0%) of 31 patients with severe disease activity were seropositive compared to 35 (44.9%) of 78 patients with moderate (P < 0.05) and one (5.3%) of 19 patients with mild (P < 0.01) histological changes. IgA anti-HCc was measured sequentially in 65 patients who underwent interferon therapy. There was a significant difference between responders and other patients in the mean ratio of IgA anti-HCc titers one month after therapy. Three months after therapy, IgA anti-HCc was detectable in only two of 15 responders who were IgA anti-HCc seropositive at the start of therapy. In contrast, IgA anti-HCc reappeared three months after therapy despite a temporary decrease to undetectable levels in all nonresponders. We conclude that IgA anti-HCc is a useful marker to identify the presence of active type C liver disease and that the disappearance of IgA anti-HCc three months after interferon therapy predicts a good response in treated patients.
Tanaka
M
M
Third Department of Internal Medicine, Kumamoto University School of Medicine, Japan.
Sato
S
S
Fujiyama
S
S
Kawano
S
S
Taura
Y
Y
Chikazawa
H
H
Honda
Y
Y
Shibata
J
J
Sato
T
T
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D001706:Biopsy; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000276:immunology*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000097:blood*; D007372:Interferons / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013997:Time Factors; D014758:Viral Core Proteins / Q000276:immunology*
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D014758:Viral Core Proteins; D007372:Interferons