title: [Prevalence and clinical significance of autoantibodies in chronic hepatitis C treated with interferon alfa].
abstract: Autoantibodies against non organ-specific may be induced by IFN treatment in HCV liver chronic disease. In order to assess this issue and its clinical significance, 44 patients with chronic hepatitis C (anti HCV and RNA-HCV +) treated with IFN were evaluated. In 13 patients (29.5%) the following autoantibodies were detected during the treatment: AAML (5), AAN (9), ALK-M (4). Only in the A-LKM + patients there was a slight increase in aminotransferases with a reappearance of the viremia. Moreover 2 of these patients showed a flare of their liver disease without systemic findings. During the follow up (28) months one of the patients normalized the aminotransferases with clearance of serum HCV RNA. There were no statistical differences in the sustained response rate between patients with (2/13) or without (4/31) autoantibodies. The development of AAN, AAML and ALKM at low titer during IFN treatment in CH-C is without clinical relevance. However, ALKM detection is occasionally associated with the "breakthrough" phenomenon with HCV eradication, suggesting an immuno-modulatory activity of IFN.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Medicina Digestiva, Hospital La Fe, Valencia.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Olaso
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Siles
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Córdoba
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gisbert
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Berenguer
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Benages
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Berenguer
mesh_terms: D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000097:blood* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015995:Prevalence
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D016898:Interferon-alpha
vernacular_title: Prevalencia y significación clínica de los autoanticuerpos en la hepatitis crónica C tratada con interferón alfa.