[Autoimmune hepatitis and autoimmune manifestations in patients with chronic viral hepatitis]

The study reviews pathogenesis of autoimmune hepatitis and role of hepatotropic viruses in this disease. For a long time it was not known for certain which antigen was autoantigen on the hepatocyte. The discovery of human asialo glycoprotein receptor as an autoantigen enabled distinguishing autoimmune hepatitis from other chronic active hepatitis of unknown etiology. Autoantibodies and other tissue antigens ensured differentiation of autoimmune hepatitis in regard to severity of clinical manifestations in patients of different age and sex. The paper deals with autoantibodies and their occurrence in virally induced chronic hepatitis and some other autoimmune manifestations.