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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Hepatitis C virus replication in ‘autoimmune’ chronic hepatitis

Alan J. PolitoPiero Luigi AlmasioU. PalazzoCarmelo FabianoGiovambattista PinzelloQui-lim ChooG. FiorentinoMichael HoughtonS. MagrinGeorge KuoGiuseppe ProvenzanoAntonio CraxìLuigi PagliaroJang Han

subject

MaleHepatitis C virusMolecular Sequence DataEnzyme-Linked Immunosorbent AssayHepacivirusVirus Replicationmedicine.disease_causePolymerase Chain ReactionVirusHepatitisPrednisoneHumansMedicineHepatitis AntibodiesAutoantibodiesAutoimmune diseaseHepatitisBase SequenceHepatologybiologybusiness.industryChronic ActiveAutoantibodyvirus diseasesHepatitis C AntibodiesMiddle Agedmedicine.diseaseHepatitis Cdigestive system diseasesLiverOligodeoxyribonucleotidesImmunologybiology.proteinRNA ViralFemaleAntibodybusinessmedicine.drug

description

Abstract Both high and low anti-hepatitis C virus antibody (anti-HCV) prevalence has been reported in autoimmune chronic active hepatitis. Therefore, we studied 15 consecutive HBsAg-negative, ELISA anti-HCV-positive, autoantibody-positive patients with biopsy proven chronic active hepatitis in order to confirm ELISA specificity by immunoblot test (RIBA-HCV), and to evaluate HCV replication by serum HCV-RNA. Nine patients were anti-nuclear, three type 1 anti-liver-kidney microsomal and three anti-smooth muscle antibody positive. None had associated autoimmune disease. All cases showed mild clinical disease and only moderate necroinflammatory activity. Response to prednisone was poor. RIBA-HCV confirmed ELISA results in all patients. HCV-RNA was found in the serum from 10 patients. Institution of α-interferon treatment in three steroid non-responsive patients was followed by prompt normalization of transaminases. Thus, a subgroup of autoantibody-positive chronic active hepatitis can be recognized as HCV-related and should be clinically and etiologically distinguished from autoimmune chronic active hepatitis. Trials of α-interferon treatment are worthwhile in this condition.

yearjournalcountryeditionlanguage
1991-11-01Journal of Hepatology
https://doi.org/10.1016/0168-8278(91)90082-m