Serum autoantibody against interleukin-1 alpha is unrelated to the etiology or activity of liver disease but can be raised by interferon treatment.

OBJECTIVE

To clarify the clinical significance of serum levels of interleukin-1 alpha autoantibody in liver disease and their change during interferon therapy for chronic hepatitis.

METHODS

By radioimmunoassay, we studied the incidence of serum interleukin-1 alpha autoantibody in 838 healthy controls and 180 patients with liver disease and monitored the change in antibody titer during the interferon therapy for chronic hepatitis.

RESULTS

We detected the interleukin-1 alpha autoantibody in 12.6% (106/838) of healthy controls. In patients with liver disease, we found the antibody in 15.6% (5/32) in patients with acute hepatitis, 16.3% (13/80) in patients with chronic hepatitis, 18.8% (9/48) in patients with liver cirrhosis, and 15% (3/20) in patients with autoimmune liver disease. The incidence was not related to either etiology or inflammatory activity of liver disease. Two of three chronic hepatitis patients with initially high serum levels of the antibody (> 2000 ng/ml) showed transient increase in antibody titers during interferon therapy.

CONCLUSION

The serum level of interleukin-1 alpha autoantibody was unrelated to the etiology or activity of liver disease. Interferon therapy can cause transient elevation of serum interleukin-1 alpha autoantibody levels.