Tobacco smoking and other factors in relation to serum alpha-1-antitrypsin.
Serum levels of alpha-1-antitrypsin were measured by radial immunodiffusion, and phenotypes were determined by electrofocusing in acrylamide gel in 160 subjects who were used as controls in a case-control study of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The results were studied in relation to age, sex, diagnostic category, tobacco smoking, consumption of alcoholic beverages, presence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), and serum levels of alphafetoprotein (AFP) by modeling the data through multiple regression. There was no relation of serum alpha-1-antitrypsin values with sex, HBsAg, AFP, consumption of alcoholic beverages, and diagnostic category (p > 0.25). By contrast, there were statistically significant dose-dependent positive associations of serum alpha-1-antitrypsin with age and tobacco smoking (p < 0.01 in both instances). The positive association of serum alpha-1-antitrypsin with tobacco smoking and the previously reported excessive elevation of serum alpha-1-antitrypsin in hepatitis B-negative tobacco-related cases of HCC suggest that alpha-1-antitrypsin is intimately related to the pathogenetic process linking tobacco smoking to HCC.
Petridou
E
E
Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Athens University Medical School, Greece.
Chapuis-Cellier
C
C
Roukas
K
K
Lan
S J
SJ
Tzonou
A
A
Trichopoulos
D
D
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects; D015982:Bias; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000209:etiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D005779:Immunodiffusion; D007525:Isoelectric Focusing; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010641:Phenotype; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology; D000515:alpha 1-Antitrypsin / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000032:analysis
D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D000515:alpha 1-Antitrypsin; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins