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Clinical study of IgA antibody against hepatitis C virus core antigen in patients with type C chronic liver disease

  • Liver: Infections, Inflammatory, And Metabolic Disorders
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Abstract

Immunoglobulin A class antibody to hepatitis C virus core antigen (IgA anti-HCc) was measured in the serum of 128 patients with type C chronic liver disease. Fifty-eight patients (45.3%) were seropositive. IgA anti-HCc was detected in only one of 20 patients with chronic persistent hepatitis; however, 52.3% (46/88) of patients with chronic active hepatitis and 55% (11/20) of patients with liver cirrhosis were seropositive. Histological examination revealed that 22 (71.0%) of 31 patients with severe disease activity were seropositive compared to 35 (44.9%) of 78 patients with moderate (P<0.05) and one (5.3%) of 19 patients with mild (P<0.01) histological changes. IgA anti-HCc was measured sequentially in 65 patients who underwent interferon therapy. There was a significant difference between responders and other patients in the mean ratio of IgA anti-HCc titers one month after therapy. Three months after therapy, IgA anti-HCc was detectable in only two of 15 responders who were IgA anti-HCc seropositive at the start of therapy. In contrast, IgA anti-HCc reappeared three months after therapy despite a temporary decrease to undetectable levels in all nonresponders. We conclude that IgA anti-HCc is a useful marker to identify the presence of active type C liver disease and that the disappearance of IgA anti-HCc three months after interferon therapy predicts a good response in treated patients.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Second Department of Pathology, Kumamoto University School of Medicine, Kumamoto, Japan

    Motohiko Tanaka MD, Shinjiro Sato MD, Shigetoshi Fujiyama MD, Shin-Ich Kawano MD, Yuko Taura MD, Hideto Chikazawa MD, Yoshikazu Honda MD, Junji Shibata MD & Tatsuo Sato MD

  2. Third Department of Internal Medicine, Kumamoto University School of Medicine, 1-1-1, Honjo, 860, Kumamoto, Japan

    Motohiko Tanaka MD, Shinjiro Sato MD, Shigetoshi Fujiyama MD, Shin-Ich Kawano MD, Yuko Taura MD, Hideto Chikazawa MD, Yoshikazu Honda MD, Junji Shibata MD & Tatsuo Sato MD

Authors
  1. Motohiko Tanaka MD
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  2. Shinjiro Sato MD
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  3. Shigetoshi Fujiyama MD
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  4. Shin-Ich Kawano MD
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  5. Yuko Taura MD
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  6. Hideto Chikazawa MD
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  7. Yoshikazu Honda MD
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  9. Tatsuo Sato MD
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Tanaka, M., Sato, S., Fujiyama, S. et al. Clinical study of IgA antibody against hepatitis C virus core antigen in patients with type C chronic liver disease. Digest Dis Sci 40, 457–464 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02065435

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02065435

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