Premium
Anti‐HCV immunoglobulin M antibody in patients with hepatitis C
Author(s) -
KIKUCHI TAKASHI,
ONJI MORIKAZU,
MICHITAKA KOJIRO,
SAITO IZUMU,
MIYAMURA TATSUO,
OHTA YASUYUKI
Publication year - 1992
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 - 10.1111/j.1440-1746.1992.tb00972.x
Subject(s) - medicine , hepatitis , antibody , immunology , hepatitis c virus , hepatitis c , immunoglobulin m , exacerbation , gastroenterology , immunoglobulin g , virus
Anti‐hepatitis C virus (HCV) immunoglobulin M antibody titres were measured by an enzyme‐linked immuno‐sorbent assay method in 16 patients with non‐A, non‐B acute hepatitis (NANB AH), 13 with non‐A, non‐B fulminant hepatitis (NANB FH) and nine with type C chronic hepatitis. Anti‐HCV IgM was positive in one of the 16 patients with NANB AH, six of the 13 with NANB FH, and five of the nine with type C chronic hepatitis. Anti‐HCV IgG was positive in eight of the 16 patients with NANB AH and eight of the 13 with NANB FH. Either anti‐HCV IgM or anti‐HCV IgG were positive in 10 of the 13 patients with NANB FH. All of the five anti‐HCV IgM positive patients with type C chronic hepatitis were undergoing an exacerbation of the diseases, while all of the anti‐HCV IgM negative patients were in a remission stage which had lasted for more than 6 months. The findings of this study suggest that anti‐HCV IgM is useful for the early diagnosis of type C FH and may be a useful marker of diseases activity in type C chronic hepatitis.