Archives of Clinical Infectious Diseases
Naser Ebrahimi Daryani1,*, 
Hossein Bahrami1, Babak Haghpanah1, Mehdi Jalili1, Aliassad Hashtroudi1, Mohammad Bashashati1, Alireza Sayyah1Increased levels of non-organ-specific autoantibodies are frequently seen in patients suffering from chronic hepatitis C (CHC); however, the etiology and its effects on the course of the disease and response to therapy are largely undetermined. Particularly, it seems of utmost importance to define whether this increase is solely an insignificant coincidence or a major finding which have an impact on the course of the disease.
Fifty-two patients with CHC (case group) and 52 aged- and sex-matched IBS patients (controls) were enrolled. The sera of all subjects were checked for non-organ-specific autoantibodies, including antinuclear antibody (ANA), anti-smooth muscle antibody (ASMA), anti-mitochondrial antibody (AMA), and antiliver kidney microsomal antibody (ALKM). All cases underwent a liver biopsy and treated with a 12-month course of combination therapy with interferon and ribavirin.
Seroprevalence of ANA and ASMA seems to be higher in patients with CHC but its impact on the severity of disease and response to therapy is the subject for further investigations.
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