CORRELATION BETWEEN SERUM GLOBULIN LEVELS AND HEPATITIS-C VIRUS-ANTIBODY

Background. some studies have suggested that the elevation of serum gl obulins in patients with chronic autoimmune hepatitis, paraproteinemia s and rheumatoid arthritis could affect the determination of false pos itive hepatitis C virus antibodies (anti-HCV). AIM. to study the relat ionship between positive anti-HCV and serum levels of globulins in pat ients with liver disease. Patients and methods: one hundred thirty one patients with liver disease, 49 alcoholic, 38 cryptogenetic, 17 autoi mmune and 27 with other causes, were studies prospectively measuring s imultaneously anti - HCV and serum levels of total, gamma and immuno-g lobulins (IgA, IgG and IgM). These levels were compared between anti-H CV positive and negative groups and correlated with the ratio between serum optical density/cutoff optical density of the anti HCV assay. Re sults: Twenty eight patients (21.3%) were anti-HCV positive, no differ ences in serum globulins between these patients and anti-HCV negative patients and no correlations between serum globulins and anti-HCV opti cal densities were observed. Conclusions: the hypergamma-globulinemia observed in these patients with liver diseases would not be responsibl e for positive hepatitis C virus antibodies.