title: Autoimmune responses as assessed by hypergammaglobulinemia and the presence of autoantibodies in patients with chronic hepatitis C.
abstract: We investigated autoimmunity, as assessed by hypergammaglobulinemia and the presence of autoantibodies including anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA) and anti-liver membrane antibodies (LMA), in 149 patients with chronic hepatitis C, 55 patients with chronic hepatitis B and 11 patients with autoimmune hepatitis. There was no significant difference in the incidence of these autoantibodies between chronic hepatitis C and chronic hepatitis B. Nine patients with chronic hepatitis C satisfied the serological criteria of autoimmune hepatitis (ANA positive and gammaglobulin or serum IgG greater than 2500 mg/dl), but none of the patients with chronic hepatitis B met the criteria. This suggests that autoimmunity is greater in chronic hepatitis C than in chronic hepatitis B. Of the 9 patients with chronic hepatitis C, all 4 patients tested for human leukocyte antigen (HLA) phenotype had HLA-DR4, which is known to be associated with autoimmune hepatitis in Japanese patients. We believe that hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection enhances the initiation and perpetuation of autoimmunity in susceptible individuals.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Internal Medicine, Okayama University Medical School, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kawamoto
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sakaguchi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Takaki
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsuji
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000032:analysis; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology; D015551:Autoimmunity; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006505:Hepatitis / Q000276:immunology; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000276:immunology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D006942:Hypergammaglobulinemia / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D001323:Autoantibodies