Laboratory evidence of autoimmunity in HCV infected patients after interferon treatment

ABSTRACT

To determine the significance of interferon alpha therapy in emergence of autoantibodies in HCV infected patients in a local population Quasi experimental study Department of Immunology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology [AFIP] Rawalpindi from Mar 2007 to Oct 2007. A total of 106 HCV infected individuals [not on any antiviral therapy], were screened for laboratory evidence of autoimmunity [ANA, SMA, AMA, Anti LKM, Anti GPC, Anti Thyroid microsomal and RA factor]. HCV infected patients without any laboratory evidence of autoimmunity were included in the study and this population was divided in to a test group [36] who were treated with interferon alpha and a control group [32] who did not receive anti viral treatment during this period. All were retested for the same autoantibodies after a period of 3 months. All autoantibodies were tested by indirect immunofluorescence except RA factor which was tested by agglutination method. Out of 106 patients scarred, 32 showed autoimmunity that were excluded from study. Six denied to participate in study. After 3 months, 61% of the patients showed autoimmunity in study group and frequencies of ASMA, anti-TPO [p 0.036], ANA [p 0.14] and RA were 36%, 25%, 25% and 33% respectively. Control group showed autoimmunity in 37.5% of the patients with frequency of 28%, 15.6%, 6.3% and 3% for ASMA, RA, TPO and ANA respectively. AMA anti-LKM antibodies were not found in both groups. ANA and anti thyroid antibodies emerge in increased frequency in HCV infected patients after treatment with IFN-alpha