IGA DEPOSITION IN THE SKIN OF PATIENTS WITH ALCOHOLIC LIVER-DISEASE

In patients with alcoholic liver disease, IgA deposits are often found in the liver, kidneys and skin. The present study was undertaken to d etermine the specificity, sensitivity and characteristics of IgA depos ition in the skin of a group of alcoholic patients with or without ove rt liver disease, and compare these with findings in non-alcoholic cir rhotics, Twenty-six out of 28 patients with alcoholic cirrhosis had Ig A deposition in the skin. In contrast, only 6 out of 11 patients who w ere alcoholic without any clinical liver disease and 3 out of 13 patie nts with Iron-alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver had IgA deposition, In the control group, only 1 out of 52 patients with various dermatoses ( excluding IgA dermatoses) had this IgA deposition, Unlike other IgA de rmatoses, such as Henoch-Schoenlein purpura or dermatitis herpetiformi s, IgA deposition in alcoholic liver disease is characterized by its p resence in the basement membrane of the eccrine secretory coils. This particular pattern of IgA deposition can be helpful in the diagnosis o f alcoholic liver disease or alcoholism since the specificity is 100% with a sensitivity of 75%. (C) Munksgaard 1996.