Serum autoantibodies in hepatitis associated antigen (HAA) positive patients. A possible index of cell-mediated immunity to the associated-infective agent.
SUMMARY Serafrom134HAA positive patients havebeenstudied forthepresence ofa variety ofautoantibodies. Thepatients weredivided intogroups dependent on theclinicopathological severity oftheassociated liver disease. Bothsmooth muscle antibody andrheumatoid factor werefoundinallgroups ofpatients. However, their incidence andtitre washigher inthegroups ofpatients whohadclinical andpathological evidence ofthemoreactive liver cell damage. Asautoantibodies inviral infections maybeanindex ofthepresence ofcell mediated immunity to thecausative infective agent these results could support thehypothesis thatcell mediated immunity isimportant inthepathogenesis ofliver cell damage inHAA positive patients.