Anticardiolipin and Antibeta2glycoproteinI Antibodies in Patients with Hepatitis B and C Infections

Background: The clinical significance of antiphospholipid antibodies in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) and some other viral infections is controversial. Objective: To study the prevalence of anticardiolipin antibody (ACLA) and antibeta2glycoproteinI antibody (antibeta2GPI antibody) in HCV and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infected patients and its association with liver clinical parameters. Methods: Serum levels of ACLA, antibeta2GPI antibody as well as platelet count, ALT (alanine transaminase), PT (prothrombine time), disease duration and liver histologic findings of 38 patients with HBV and 15 patients with HCV infections were compared with those of 58 healthy controls. Results: Serum titres of ACLA in HCV and HBV patients (13.4 ±7.1 GPL units/ml), and in each of the HCV (15.18±9.91 GPL units/ml) and HBV (12.7 ± 5.7 GPL units/ml) patients were significantly higher than that of the control group (3.4±2.3GPL units/ml). However, there was no significant difference in serum levels of antibeta2GPI antibody from patients with HCV and HBV (3.3 ± 1.3 GPL units/ml) or HCV alone (2.79 ± 1.01 GPL units/ml) or HBV alone (3.4±1.3GPL units/ml) and that of the control group (3.3±1.1GPL units/ml). Conclusion: The findings suggest that the presence of ACLA has no pathologic significance in patients with HBV and HCV infections