title: Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 concentration in sera of patients with acute and chronic liver disease: relationship to disease activity and cirrhosis.
abstract: To study the influence of chronic hepatitis on intercellular adhesion molecule-1 serum concentration, we measured intercellular adhesion molecule-1 in the serum of 84 patients with chronic liver disease (17 chronic persistent hepatitis, 42 chronic active hepatitis and 25 active cirrhosis) caused by hepatitis B virus (n = 46), hepatitis C virus (n = 10) and autoimmunity (n = 28). Furthermore, 20 patients with acute viral hepatitis (16 hepatitis B virus and 4 hepatitis A virus) and 6 patients with acute drug-induced hepatitis were included. Sera from 20 healthy persons were used as control. Follow-up examinations were performed during immunosuppressive therapy in 20 patients with autoimmune chronic liver disease (13 chronic active hepatitis and 7 active cirrhosis). Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 serum concentration was significantly increased in patients with acute viral hepatitis, drug-induced hepatitis, chronic active hepatitis and active cirrhosis compared with healthy controls and with patients with chronic persistent hepatitis. Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 was also significantly increased in severe chronic active hepatitis and active cirrhosis compared with moderate chronic active hepatitis and moderate active cirrhosis. Serum concentration of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 decreased significantly in patients with autoimmune chronic liver disease after 2 mo of immunosuppression when remission was present. A close correlation between aspartate aminotransferase and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 serum levels was found. We conclude the following: (a) in chronic liver disease intercellular adhesion molecule-1 serum concentration may represent, at least in part, hepatocellular damage; and (b) intercellular adhesion molecule-1 serum level does not differentiate between chronic autoimmune and chronic viral hepatitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zöhrens
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Armbrust
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Pirzer
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Meyer zum Büschenfelde
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ramadori
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000097:blood*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1