The Presence of Non-organ-specific Autoantibodies in Chronic Hepatitis C Treatment-naive Patients

Background: In the patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) various immune mediated phenomena are described, and non organ specific autoantibodies (NOSAs) in particular are common. The aim of the present study was to investigate the NOSAs prevalence in chronic hepatitis C treatment naive patients. Patients and Methods: Sera of 76 consecutive HCV treatment naive patients were considered to be eligible for this study for evaluation of Antinuclear, antismooth muscle, antimitochondrial, antineutrophil cytoplasmatic and antiliver kidney microsomal antibodies. Criteria of eligibility were serum antiHCV antibody and HCV RNA positivity, chronic inflammation revealed by histological analysis of the liver, genotyping, treatment naive patients, and no have the diagnosis of probable or definite autoimmune hepatitis. Results: Mean chronological age for the 76 patients (44 females and 32 males) was 51.3 years (range: 20 to 67 years). Nineteen patients (25.0%) infected with HCV had detectable levels of NOSAs at before combined antiviral treatment. SMA was present in 16 (21.0%) of 76 patients, ANA in 2 patients (2.6%), and pANCA (perinuclear ANCA) in 1 patients (1.3%). No patient had specimens reactive to AMA, LMK, or cANCA (cytoplasmic ANCA). Conclusions: In this study, we show the NOSAs positivity in chronic hepatitis c treatment naive patients. Assigned to high prevalence of SMA positivity is associated with high METAVIR score, and HCV genotype 1 and 1b, may reflect a release of intracellular antigens at the time of hepatocellular injury triggering immune responses in the form of autoantibody production or a direct infection of immunocytes by the HCV. Keywords: hepatitis C, treatment naive, non organ specific antibodies, chronic liver disease