title: Diagnostic value of anti-F-actin antibodies in a French multicenter study.
abstract: According to international criteria, autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) type 1 is characterized by the presence of antinuclear or anti-smooth muscle antibodies (SMA) with F-actin specificity. SMA have been found in 85% of AIH patients, but are not specific to this disease, and anti-F-actin specificity is not always verified when SMA are detected. The objective of this study was to determine the diagnostic value of anti-F-actin antibodies in a large population. A multicenter study involving 12 clinical centers was performed. Patients were selected on the basis of the presence of F-actin SMA detected by indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) on rat liver-kidney-stomach sections and was confirmed by IIF on Hep2 cells treated with colchicine, or F-actin dot-blot. The clinical status of patients was determined from their medical records. One hundred sixty-eight patients were included: 76% women, 24% men; mean age of 45 years (range, 2-88 years), with a bimodal age distribution. Sixty percent had AIH type 1, and 40% had another disease. In the group of women younger than 25 years, 90% had AIH type 1. Other pathologies associated with antiactin were other liver diseases (19%), including viral hepatitis C (7%), and non-liver diseases (21%), including connective tissue diseases (12%). Antibody titers were higher in AIH than in other diseases. Antiactin antibodies are of major diagnostic value in AIH, especially in young women; they may be found in other disease settings, but mostly at low levels.
authors: Groupe d'Etude de l'AutoImmunité (GEAI), Laboratoire d'Immunologie, Hôpital Larrey, Angers, France.
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Chretien-Leprince
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Ballot
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Andre
authors: N O
authors: NO
authors: Olsson
authors: N
authors: N
authors: Fabien
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Escande
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Oksman
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Dubuquoi
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Jego
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Goetz
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Chevailler
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Sanmarco
authors: R L
authors: RL
authors: Humbel
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Johanet
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000276:immunology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000276:immunology*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003078:Colchicine / Q000494:pharmacology; D003240:Connective Tissue Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D005602:France; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000276:immunology; D019693:Hepatitis, Autoimmune / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000276:immunology; D051381:Rats; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D003078:Colchicine