[Low prevalence of autoimmune antiphospholipid antibodies in hepatic diseases]

Antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) have been associated with different diseases. They are defined as a large family of immunoglobulins (Ig) of either alloantibodies or autoantibodies. The autoimmune antibodies are associated with venous and/or arterial thrombosis, thrombocytopenia and recurrent fetal loss in the so-called antiphospholipid syndrome or in systemic lupus erythematosus. These antibodies are directed against proteins or phospholipid-protein complexes. On the contrary, antiphospholipid antibodies (alloantibodies) which are found in infectious diseases sera (syphilis, HIV, and other viral diseases), disappear with illness remission and are directed to phospholipids alone (particularly cardiolipin) and are not associated with thrombosis or recurrent fetal loss. However, the role and type of aPL found during hepatic diseases is still unclear. To investigate the prevalence of autoimmune aPL (IgG and IgM) during different hepatic diseases, we have studied 128 patients with hepatitis C virus, hepatitis B virus and hepatic autoimmune diseases without treatment as well as 40 healthy control subjects. We have used a specific ELISA kit, that uses a mixture of phospholipid instead of cardiolipin alone, and allows a better detection of aPL of the autoimmune type. Our results show that autoimmune aPL are not significantly increased in viral hepatic diseases (2%) or autoimmune diseases of the liver (3%) when compared to the control group (0%).