Diagnostic value of anti-F-actin antibodies in a French multicenter study.
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.
Chretien-Leprince
P
P
Groupe d'Etude de l'AutoImmunité (GEAI), Laboratoire d'Immunologie, Hôpital Larrey, Angers, France.
Ballot
E
E
Andre
C
C
Olsson
N O
NO
Fabien
N
N
Escande
A
A
Oksman
F
F
Dubuquoi
S
S
Jego
S
S
Goetz
J
J
Chevailler
A
A
Sanmarco
M
M
Humbel
R L
RL
Johanet
C
C
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
D000199:Actins; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D003078:Colchicine