LABORATORY EVIDENCE OF AUTOIMMUNITY IN HCV INFECTED PATIENTS AFTER INTERFERON TREATMENT

Autoimmunity in HCV

Abstract

Objective: To determine the significance of interferon alpha therapy in emergence of autoantibodies in HCV infected patients in a local population
Design: Quasi experimental study
Place and duration of study: Department of Immunology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) Rawalpindi from Mar 2007 to Oct 2007.
Methods: A total of 106 HCV infected individuals (not on any antiviral therapy), were screened for laboratory evidence of autoimmunity (ANA, SMA, AMA, Anti LKM, Anti GPC, Anti Thyroid microsomal & RA factor). HCV infected patients without any laboratory evidence of autoimmunity were included in the study and this population was divided in to a test group (36) who were treated with interferon alpha and a control group (32) who did not receive anti viral treatment during this period. All were retested for the same autoantibodies after a period of 3 months. All autoantibodies were tested by indirect immunofluorescence except RA factor which was tested by agglutination method.
Results: Out of 106 patients scarred, 32 showed autoimmunity that were excluded from study. Six denied to participate in study. After 3 months, 61% of the patients showed autoimmunity in study group and frequencies of ASMA, anti-TPO (p 0.036), ANA (p 0.14) and RA were 36%, 25%, 25% and 33% respectively. Control group showed autoimmunity in 37.5% of the patients with frequency of 28%, 15.6%, 6.3% and 3% for ASMA, RA, TPO and ANA respectively. AMA anti-LKM antibodies were not found in both groups.
Conclusions: ANA and anti thyroid antibodies emerge in increased frequency in HCV infected patients after treatment with IFN-á.