Autoimmunity in hepatitis C virus carriers: involvement of ferritin and prolactin.
BACKGROUND
Ferritin and prolactin have been associated with active autoimmune diseases as systemic lupus erythematosus and autoantibody production, but have been little studied in viral infections that present autoimmunity.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the association of these two autoimmune mediators with the presence of cryoglobulinaemia and non-organ-specific autoantibodies (RF, SMA, β2GPI IgA antibody and ANA) in Brazilian individuals chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV).


METHODS
Ninety-nine patients were evaluated. Ferritin and prolactin levels were determined by chemiluminescent immunoassays.


RESULTS
Hyperprolactinemia was found in 10 (six men and four women) out of 99 (10.1%) hepatitis C patients. Thirty-eight out of 99 (38.4%) HCV carriers had hyperferritinemia (median level 385ng/mL). Neither hyperprolactinemia nor hyperferritinemia was associated with cryoglobulinaemia or non-organ-specific autoantibodies (p>.05). There was an association between hyperprolactinemia and the infection with HCV genotype 3 (p<.01). Ferritin and ALT levels were correlated (p<.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that neither prolactin nor ferritin is involved with the extra-hepatic manifestation of autoimmunity observed in HCV carriers.
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Imunologia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Bahia, Brazil.
Gabriel M
GM
Sousa
Rodrigo C
RC
Oliveira
Mariana M
MM
Pereira
Raymundo
R
Paraná
Maria Luiza B
ML
Sousa-Atta
Ajax M
AM
Atta
D000328:Adult; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood; D015551:Autoimmunity; D002353:Carrier State / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D003449:Cryoglobulinemia / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000276:immunology; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D006966:Hyperprolactinemia / Q000150:complications; D019189:Iron Metabolism Disorders / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011388:Prolactin / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*
D001323:Autoantibodies; D011388:Prolactin; D005293:Ferritins