Autoimmune hepatitis

All autoimmune diseases can be detected on the basis of high levels of circulating antibodies against self-antigens, this is true for autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) as well. We expect to find high titers of following antibodies in your blood:

• Antibodies against cell nuclei (ANA), native DNA
• Smooth muscle (ASMA, most important target antigen: F-actin)
• Soluble liver antigen/ liver-pancreas antigen (SLA/LP)
• Liver-kidney microsomes (LKM-1, target antigen: cytochrome P450 IID6)
• Liver cytosolic antigen type 1 (LC-1, target antigen: formiminotransferase cyclodeaminase).

The SLA/LP antibody titers that are detected by our EUROIMMUN enzyme immunoassays hold the highest accuracy for diagnosing AIH. These antibodies are seen either alone or in conjunction with other antibodies. Although their prevalence stacks around 10 to 30%, their predictive value is a 100 percent.

Another important predictor of AIH is ASMA antibodies. These are directed against F-actin and since the sampling involves frozen tissues or cells, these cannot be detected by conventional ELISA or Western blot techniques. Our specially designed immunofluorescence assays are highly efficient in detecting a hike in these antibodies and thus facilitate in the accurate diagnosis of AIH.