Chronic active hepatitis in patients with and without hepatitis B surface antigenemia.

This study was designed to compare the clinical and immunological characteristics of the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive and HBsAg-negative (cryptogenic) forms of chronic active hepatitis. The data of 48 patients with chronic active hepatitis, 24 with persistent HBs antigenemia and 24 without HBsAg, were analysed. HBsAg was detected by counter-immunoelectrophoresis and radioimmunoassay. The clinical features, biochemical liver function tests, immunoglobulins, complement C3, antoantibodies, and cell-mediated immunoreactivity of the two forms of the disease were compared. Cirrhosis was found to occur more frequently at the time of diagnosis in the HBsAg-negative group, and the serum alkaline phosphatase level was raised significantly compared to the HBsAg-positive form. The elevation of the IgG level was greater in the cryptogenic form, but the difference was not statistically significant compared to the HBsAg-positive patients. There was a marked difference in the frequency of the mitochondrial antibodies, but not of the antinuclear factor and other autoantibody-like serum factors. Lymphoblastic transformation revealed a similar diminution in response to phytohaemagglutinin stimulation in both groups of patients compared to the normal controls. An increase of the 3H-thymidine incorporation was seen after stimulation with human liver mitochondrial antigen, and leukocyte migration inhibition could be observed with this antigen in both forms of chronic active hepatitis.