Premium
Changes in titers of antimitochondrial and antinuclear antibodies during the course of primary biliary cirrhosis
Author(s) -
Masuda JunIchi,
Omagari Katsuhisa,
Matsuo Isao,
Kinoshita Hideki,
Sakimura Kanae,
Hazama Hiroaki,
Ohba Kazuo,
Isomoto Hajime,
Murase Kunihiko,
Murata Ikuo,
Kohno Shigeru
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of gastroenterology and hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.214
H-Index - 130
eISSN - 1440-1746
pISSN - 0815-9319
DOI - 10.1046/j.1440-1746.2001.02377.x
Subject(s) - anti nuclear antibody , primary biliary cirrhosis , medicine , ursodeoxycholic acid , biliary cirrhosis , gastroenterology , antibody , pathology , autoantibody , alkaline phosphatase , autoimmune disease , immunology , enzyme , biology , biochemistry
A case of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) in whom a complete biochemical (serum bilirubin, transaminases and alkaline phosphatase) remission was noted after combination treatment with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) and corticosteroid is reported. The antimitochondrial antibody (AMA) detected by indirect immunofluorescence was initially positive, and the antinuclear antibody (ANA) was negative, but these two antibodies subsequently fluctuated independently (AMA‐positive/ANA‐negative, AMA‐negative/ANA‐negative, AMA‐negative/ANA‐positive, AMA‐positive/ANA‐positive, and again AMA‐negative/ANA‐positive) in spite of a lack of histopathological improvement in the liver after treatment. The clinical presentation in our case suggests that in some cases the diagnosis of PBC or so‐called autoimmune cholangitis (AIC) might depend on the ‘phase’ of the same disease. Our results also suggest that detailed immunoreactive profiles against 2‐oxo‐acid dehydrogenase complex (2‐OADC) enzymes by using immunoblotting, together with a serial histological examination, should provide more precise information for a diagnosis of PBC.