The Diagnostic Value of Autoantibodies to Asialoglycoprotein Receptor Combined with Antinuclear Antibody in Autoimmune Hepatitis

BACKGROUND This study aimed to analyze the combined diagnostic value of autoantibodies to asialoglycoprotein receptor (anti-ASGPR) and antinuclear antibody (ANA) for autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), and to further explore the role of anti-ASGPR in autoimmune hepatitis. METHODS According to the clinical diagnosis, the patients were divided into AIH group, viral hepatitis group, alcoholic hepatitis group, fatty liver group, and normal group, then the four groups were compared with the normal group, and the sensitivity and specificity of Anti-ASGPR, ANA and their combination in the diagnosis of AIH were analyzed. Then AIH patients were divided into anti-ASGPR positive group and negative group. The two groups were compared regarding the difference of biochemical and immunological indicators. RESULTS Only the positive rate of anti-ASGPR and ANA in the AIH group and normal disease group were statistically significant (p < 0.05); in the AIH group, the positive rate of anti-ASGPR and ANA was 63.16% and 71.93%, respectively, the sensitivity and specificity of anti-ASGPR and ANA in parallel were 87.72% and 79.02%, respec-tively, and the Youden index was 0.6674. AIH patients with anti-ASGPR positive had higher levels of immunoglobin G (IgG), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and lower complement C3 than AIH patients with anti-ASGPR negative. CONCLUSIONS The combined positive of anti-ASGPR and ANA in serum has diagnostic value for AIH, and anti-ASGPR may be related to the disease activity, inflammatory reaction, and pathogenesis of AIH.