Strassburg Christian P, Vogel Arndt, Manns Michael P
Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, D-30625 Hannover, Germany.
Autoimmun Rev. 2003 Oct;2(6):322-31. doi: 10.1016/s1568-9972(03)00036-3.
Hepatitis C is a widespread chronic liver disease leading to cirrhosis and to the complications of portal hypertension. Based on biochemical and clinical features, it is almost indistinguishable from autoimmune hepatitis, which is characterized by the absence of viral infection, and other causes of chronic liver diseases, and represents a classical autoimmune disease with loss of immunological tolerance of liver tissue. Although the differentiation between both diseases is not difficult due the availability of diagnostic viral markers, it is well recognized that not only are autoantibodies present in autoimmune hepatitis frequently detected in hepatitis C, but also that an array of immune-mediated symptoms and diseases occur in patients with chronic hepatitis C. This has prompted research aimed at identifying a link between hepatitis C and autoimmunity, and autoimmune hepatitis in particular. This review focuses on the general immunological mechanisms linking viral infections with autoimmunity and includes the specific features of hepatitis C- and D-associated autoimmunity. Virus infection remains at the center of molecular and cellular research aimed at identifying the forces driving human autoimmunity and autoimmune diseases.
丙型肝炎是一种广泛流行的慢性肝病，可导致肝硬化和门静脉高压并发症。基于生化和临床特征，它与自身免疫性肝炎几乎难以区分，自身免疫性肝炎的特征是无病毒感染，也与其他慢性肝病病因不同，它是一种典型的自身免疫性疾病，表现为肝组织免疫耐受性丧失。尽管由于有诊断性病毒标志物，两种疾病的鉴别并不困难，但众所周知，不仅自身免疫性肝炎中常见的自身抗体在丙型肝炎中也经常被检测到，而且慢性丙型肝炎患者还会出现一系列免疫介导的症状和疾病。这促使人们开展研究，旨在确定丙型肝炎与自身免疫，尤其是自身免疫性肝炎之间的联系。本综述重点关注将病毒感染与自身免疫联系起来的一般免疫机制，包括丙型肝炎和丁型肝炎相关自身免疫的具体特征。病毒感染仍然是旨在确定驱动人类自身免疫和自身免疫性疾病因素的分子和细胞研究的核心。
