SEROLOGIC MARKERS OF AUTOIMMUNE CHRONIC HEPATITIS IN PATIENTS WITH LICHEN PLANES

Recent evidence has been produced that supports the role of hepatitis C virus in the pathogenisis of autoimmune chronic hepatitis (ACH) deve loping in patients with lichen planus (LP). We report the results of a serological study performed on a group of 61 LP patients, 21 of whom also had a chronic liver disorder. The following antibodies were studi ed: anti-nuclear (ANA), anti-smooth muscle (SM) (actin), anti-liver-ki dney microsome (LKM1), anti-soluble liver antigen (SLA), anti-GOR an a nti-mitochondria (M2). Our patients were all anti-M2 and anti-LKM-l ne gative, had anti-GOR in about l4% of cases and anti-SLA in only one ca se. As expected, all anti-GOR-positive were also anti-hepatitis C viru s (HCV)-positive. These findings suggest that in countries with high H CV circulation, ACH overlaps post-HCV-hepatitis and that LP patients d evelop ACH type 2b not differing in that from other Italian patients w ith hepatitis without LP.