Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Clinical Pathology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Pathology
. 1974 May;27(5):348–352. doi: 10.1136/jcp.27.5.348

Asymptomatic liver disease in hepatitis B antigen carriers

I L Woolf 1,2,3,4,5, B E Boyes 1,2,3,4,5, D M Jones 1,2,3,4,5, J S Whittaker 1,2,3,4,5, E Tapp 1,2,3,4,5, R N M MacSween 1,2,3,4,5, P H Renton 1,2,3,4,5, F Stratton 1,2,3,4,5, I W Dymock 1,2,3,4,5,1
PMCID: PMC478124  PMID: 4850682

Abstract

Thirty-four healthy blood donors, found to be persistent HBAg carriers, have been investigated by means of serial liver function tests, bromsulphthalein (BSP) retention, and liver biopsy. Thirty-one of the donors had histological abnormalities including one with cirrhosis, three with chronic aggressive hepatitis, and 11 with chronic persistent hepatitis. In 13 biopsies there were focal areas of necrosis in the liver parenchyma. Serial liver function tests revealed abnormalities in each of the donors with cirrhosis or with chronic aggressive hepatitis, in seven of the 11 donors with chronic persistent hepatitis, and in seven of the 13 with focal parenchymal necrosis. The degree of BSP retention was greatest (>11%) in the donors with chronic aggressive hepatitis. The severity of the histological changes was related neither to the titre of the antigen in the serum nor to the presence of autoantibodies.

Full text

PDF
348

Images in this article

349Image
on p.349
350Image
on p.350
350Image
on p.350

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. BECK J. S. Variations in the morphological patterns of "autoimmune" nuclear fluorescence. Lancet. 1961 Jun 3;1(7188):1203–1205. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(61)91944-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bolin T. D., Davis A. E., Liddelow A. G. Liver disease and cell-mediated immunity in hepatitis-associated antigen (HAA) carriers. Gut. 1973 May;14(5):365–368. doi: 10.1136/gut.14.5.365. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Cherubin C. E., Rosenthal W. S., Stenger R. E., Prince A. M., Baden M., Strauss R., McGinn T. G. Chronic liver disease in asymptomatic narcotic addicts. Ann Intern Med. 1972 Mar;76(3):391–395. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-76-3-391. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. De Groote J., Desmet V. J., Gedigk P., Korb G., Popper H., Poulsen H., Scheuer P. J., Schmid M., Thaler H., Uehlinger E. A classification of chronic hepatitis. Lancet. 1968 Sep 14;2(7568):626–628. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(68)90710-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Dudley F. J., Fox R. A., Sherlock S. Relationship of hepatitis-associated antigen (H.A.A.) to acute and chronic liver injury. Lancet. 1971 Jul 3;2(7714):1–3. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(71)90001-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Goudie R. B., Macsween R. N., Goldberg D. M. Serological and histological diagnosis of primary biliary cirrhosis. J Clin Pathol. 1966 Nov;19(6):527–538. doi: 10.1136/jcp.19.6.527. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hadziyannis S. J., Merikas G. E., Afroudakis A. P. Hepatitis-associated antigen in chronic liver disease. Lancet. 1970 Jul 11;1(7663):100–100. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(70)92672-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Holborow E. J. Smooth-muscle autoantibodies, viral infections and malignant disease. Proc R Soc Med. 1972 May;65(5):481–484. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Johnson G. D., Holborow E. J., Glynn L. E. Antibody to smooth muscle in patients with liver disease. Lancet. 1965 Oct 30;2(7418):878–879. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(65)92505-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Kliman A., Reid N. R., Lilly C., Morrison J. Hepatitis-associated antigen (Australia antigen) in Massachusetts blood donors. N Engl J Med. 1971 Sep 30;285(14):783–785. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197109302851406. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Krohn K., Finlayson N. D., Jokelainen P. T., Anderson K. E., Prince A. M. Electron microscopical and immunological observations on the serum-hepatitis (S.H.) antigen in primary biliary cirrhosis. Lancet. 1970 Aug 22;2(7669):379–383. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(70)90001-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Mowat N. A., Brunt P. W., Albert-Recht F., Walker W. Outbreak of serum hepatitis associated with tattooing. Lancet. 1973 Jan 6;1(7793):33–34. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(73)91239-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Prince A. M., Metselaar D., Kafuko G. W., Mukwaya L. G., Ling C. M., Overby L. R. Hepatitis B antigen in wild-caught mosquitoes in Africa. Lancet. 1972 Aug 5;2(7771):247–250. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(72)91686-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Reinicke V., Dybkjaer E., Poulsen H., Banke O., Lylloff K., Nordenfelt E. A study of Australia-antigen-positive blood donors and their recipients, with special reference to liver histology. N Engl J Med. 1972 Apr 20;286(16):867–870. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197204202861604. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Ricci G., deBac D., Caramia F. Liver disease in Australia-antigen carriers. Lancet. 1972 Feb 26;1(7748):494–494. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(72)90155-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Singleton J. W., Merrill D. A., Fitch R. A., Kohler P. F., Rettberg W. A. Liver disease in Australia-antigen-positive blood-donors. Lancet. 1971 Oct 9;2(7728):785–787. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(71)92740-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Soulier J., Couroucé-Pauty A. M., Benamon-Djiane D., Charrier G., Pillard N., Régnier C. Etude immunologique des hépatites à virus. Recherche de l'antigène Australie et de l'anticorps correspondant. Premiers résultats. Rev Fr Transfus. 1969 Sep;12(3):361–382. doi: 10.1016/s0035-2977(69)80041-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Wallace J., Milne G. R., Barr A. Total screening of blood donations for Australia (hepatitis associated) antigen and its antibody. Br Med J. 1972 Mar 11;1(5801):663–664. doi: 10.1136/bmj.1.5801.663. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Pathology are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES