Diagnostic significance of anti-HBc IgM (RIA) in healthy HBsAg carriers and in chronic hepatitis B.

The diagnostic significance of IgM antibody against hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) in healthy hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carriers and in subjects affected by chronic hepatitis B was evaluated. IgM anti-HBc was sought and found in all nine patients examined who were affected by acute HBsAg-positive hepatitis. It was also detected in 2 out of 18 patients with HBsAg-positive chronic persistent hepatitis and in 12 out of 42 patients affected by HBsAg-positive chronic active hepatitis. The absence of this marker was noted in all 26 HBsAg healthy carriers and in the subjects with HBsAg-positive cirrhosis. No relationship was found between the presence of IgM anti-HBc and the degree of inflammatory activity in the patients with HBsAg-positive chronic active hepatitis. A correlation was not found between the presence of IgM anti-HBc and the presence of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) in the same patients. These data show that the absence of IgM anti-HBc may be useful in identifying healthy carriers of HBsAg. The presence of this antibody may be a suitable indication of acute HBsAg-positive hepatitis. In patients with chronic active hepatitis B the presence of IgM anti-HBc cannot be used as diagnostic tool in predicting the severity of liver disease.