[Correlation between serum globulin levels and hepatitis C virus antibody].

BACKGROUND

some studies have suggested that the elevation of serum globulins in patients with chronic autoimmune hepatitis, paraproteinemias and rheumatoid arthritis could affect the determination of false positive hepatitis C virus antibodies (anti-HCV).

AIM: to study the relationship between positive anti-HCV and serum levels of globulins in patients with liver disease.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

one hundred thirty one patients with liver disease, 49 alcoholic, 38 cryptogenetic, 17 autoimmune and 27 with other causes, were studies prospectively measuring simultaneously anti-HCV and serum levels of total, gamma and immuno-globulins (IgA, IgG and IgM). These levels were compared between anti-HCV positive and negative groups and correlated with the ratio between serum optical density/cutoff optical density of the anti HCV assay.

RESULTS

Twenty eight patients (21.3%) were anti-HCV positive, no differences in serum globulins between these patients and anti-HCV negative patients and no correlations between serum globulins and anti-HCV optical densities were observed.

CONCLUSIONS

the hypergamma-globulinemia observed in these patients with liver diseases would not be responsible for positive hepatitis C virus antibodies.