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[Course control and significance of circulating HBsAg-specific immune complexes in acute viral hepatitis B]
The occurrence and behaviour of circulating HBsAg-specific immune complexes were investigated in 52 patients suffering from acute viral hepatitis B. In 6 patients the illness took a chronic course. The determination was carried out by precipitation with polyethylene glycol 6,000 and the increase of HBsAg concentration after antibody splitting from the complexes by trypsin treatment. The results allow following conclusions: The early presence of immune complexes suggests a specific antibody response also against HBsAg before development of clinical illness. The timing and strength of this humoral immune reaction is sex dependent; females show anti-HBs earlier and in higher titers. The course of the concentration of circulating immune complexes depends on the immunoglobulin class of antibody and the quickness of virus elimination. The determination of circulating unspecific or HBsAg-specific immune complexes does not allow to draw any prognostic conclusion to the further course of acute hepatitis B. Only in chronificating cases, the future activity of the chronic HBV infection may be expected by the early behaviour of HBsAg immune complexes. Also patients developing chronic course of the HBV infection demonstrated a "peak" of the immune reaction 6-8 weeks after the beginning of disease, which could offer the point of time for starting an immunomodulating therapy.
The occurrence and behaviour of circulating HBsAg-specific immune complexes were investigated in 52 patients suffering from acute viral hepatitis B. In 6 patients the illness took a chronic course. The determination was carried out by precipitation with polyethylene glycol 6,000 and the increase of HBsAg concentration after antibody splitting from the complexes by trypsin treatment. The results allow following conclusions: The early presence of immune complexes suggests a specific antibody response also against HBsAg before development of clinical illness. The timing and strength of this humoral immune reaction is sex dependent; females show anti-HBs earlier and in higher titers. The course of the concentration of circulating immune complexes depends on the immunoglobulin class of antibody and the quickness of virus elimination. The determination of circulating unspecific or HBsAg-specific immune complexes does not allow to draw any prognostic conclusion to the further course of acute hepatitis B. Only in chronificating cases, the future activity of the chronic HBV infection may be expected by the early behaviour of HBsAg immune complexes. Also patients developing chronic course of the HBV infection demonstrated a "peak" of the immune reaction 6-8 weeks after the beginning of disease, which could offer the point of time for starting an immunomodulating therapy.