Epstein-Barr virus as a trigger for autoimmune hepatitis in susceptible individuals.
case_series · Level IV
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 7651006.
- No licence information is recorded for this record.
- Because redistribution is not established, this page shows the abstract only. Follow the links below for the full text.
Abstract
During follow-up of healthy relatives of 13 patients with autoimmune hepatitis, seven cases of infectious mononucleosis due to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) occurred. In two of these seven, before EBV infection, there was a defect in suppressor-inducer T lymphocytes specifically controlling immune responses to the asialoglycoprotein receptor, an antigen expressed on the hepatocyte surface. In these two, antibodies to this autoantigen persisted and increased after infectious mononucleosis, and autoimmune hepatitis developed within 4 months. In susceptible individuals, EBV is a trigger for autoimmune hepatitis.