Antibodies to soluble liver antigen/liver pancreas and HLA risk factors for type 1 autoimmune hepatitis.

Antibodies to soluble liver antigen/liver-pancreas are highly specific markers of type 1 autoimmune hepatitis that have been associated with relapse. Our aim was to determine if these antibodies are reflective of a genetic predisposition for recrudescent disease.One hundred forty-four white North American patients were evaluated by an enzyme immunoassay and by Western blot using recombinant soluble liver antigen/liver-pancreas; 122 were assessed for class II human leukocyte antigens (HLAs).Twenty-two patients (15%) had antibodies to soluble liver antigen/liver-pancreas. These patients were indistinguishable from seronegative patients by clinical, laboratory, and histological features at pre…