title: Antiplatelet antibodies in patients with chronic viral hepatitis receiving interferon-alpha.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to investigate the possible role of interferon-alpha in the development of antiplatelet IgG antibodies in patients with chronic viral hepatitis B or C.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-one consecutive patients with chronic viral hepatitis (51 with chronic hepatitis B and 40 with chronic hepatitis C) were investigated for the presence of antiplatelet IgG antibodies in their serum immediately prior to IFN-alpha therapy and after six months of therapy. The method used was the solid phase red cell adherence test (Immucor, Norcross, USA), which is a sensitive tracer of antiplatelet antibodies. Some of the results were confirmed using an indirect immunofluorescence test for the detection of antiplatelet antibodies
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, we found that antiplatelet antibodies were present in 37.54% (19/51) of patients with chronic hepatitis B before IFN-alpha therapy and in 35.29% (18/51) after therapy. Moreover, antiplatelet antibodies were found in 20% (8/40) of patients with chronic hepatitis C before and after IFN-alpha therapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Therapy with IFN-alpha did not induce antiplatelet antibodies in patients with chronic viral hepatitis B or C. Thrombocytopenia observed during IFN-alpha therapy in our study was not due to the development of antiplatelet antibodies.
authors.affiliation: 1st Department of Internal Medicine, Hepato-Gastroenterology Unit, Medical School, University of Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Christodoulou
authors.forename: Leonidas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Christou
authors.forename: Eleftheria
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zervou
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Katsanos
authors.forename: Margarita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kitsanou
authors.forename: Epameinondas V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Tsianos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000906:Antibodies / Q000737:chemistry*; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000276:immunology*; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D005260:Female; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000276:immunology*; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000737:chemistry*; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013154:Spleen / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013921:Thrombocytopenia / Q000209:etiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014463:Ultrasonography
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D001323:Autoantibodies; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D016898:Interferon-alpha