The role of selected serologic markers in the diagnosis of autoimmune hepatitis

: Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a progressive inflammatory liver disease characterized by specific duration of symptoms (above 6 months), 3- to 10-fold elevation in serum aminotransferase activities, 2-fold elevation in gamma-globulin, high titers (above 1:40) of circulating autoantibodies. Antinuclear antibodies (ANA), smooth muscle antibodies (SMA), and antibodies to liver/kidney microsome type 1 (anti-LKM1) are the commonly available markers of AIH. SMA and ANA lack disease specificity and they are present commonly in different liver diseases. Anti-LKM1 usually connote a type 2 form of AIH which involves children and responds to corticosteroid therapy. Other autoantibodies, such as those against actin (SMA-AA), the liver-cytosolic antigen (anti-LC1), the liver-specific membrane lipoprotein (anti-LPS), asialoglycoprotein receptor (anti-ASGPR), have greater disease specificity but less availability.