| Literature DB >> 11991605 |
E D'Amico1, C Palazzi, P Cacciatore, A Canelli, G Ursitti, L Cosentino, V Dogali, G Riario-Sforza, F Capani.
Abstract
The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of anti-extractable nuclear antigen (ENA) antibodies in patients with chronic HCV infection. We studied 69 consecutive patients with chronic hepatitis C, 59 control subjects with non-HCV liver diseases, and 22 control subjects with extrahepatic, non-immune-mediated, chronic diseases. Thirty-two (46.3%) of 69 patients with HCV infection had anti-ENA antibodies: 16 (23.1%) showed anti-SSA antibodies and 14 (20.2%) had anti-SSB antibodies. Four of the patients with HCV infection suffered from sicca syndrome and three of them had also anti ENA antibodies. The prevalence of anti-ENA antibodies was significantly higher in the anti-HCV subjects compared with both control groups. Twenty-six of 44 HCV-antibodies-positive females had anti-ENA antibodies, compared with 6 of 25 males, showing a sex related difference. In conclusion, our results outline a specific role of HCV infection in the induction of anti-ENA antibodies. Female sex seems a predisposing condition.Entities:
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Year: 2002 PMID： 11991605 DOI： 10.1023/a:1014731731363
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Dig Dis Sci ISSN： 0163-2116 Impact factor: 3.199