The value of antinuclear antibodies in primary biliary cirrhosis

Objective Although autoantibodies have been used for the diagnosis of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), their role has not been clarified. In this study, we try to explore the value of gp210 antibody and anti-centromere antibodies (ACA) in PBC. Methods Anti-gp210 and ACA were tested in 140 PBC patients by ELISA and indirect immunofluorescence respectively. Their association with clinical, pathological data and prognosis was analysed. Results 30.5% of PBC patients had positive anti-gp210 antibody and 29.2% had ACA. The anti-gp210 antibody positive group had higher Mayo risk scores and lower serum albumin levels compared to the negative one. Patients with positive anti-gp210 antibody were more likely to develop hepatic failure (p < 0.05, OR = 9.8460, 95% CI: 1.067-90.901) than patients with negative anti-gp210 antibody. More patients with positive ACA developed portal hypertension than patients with negative ACA (p < 0.05, OR = 9.259; 95% CI: 1.027-88.410). Furthermore, concurrent Sjogren's syndrome (SjS) and PBC was significantly more likely in the ACA positive group than in the negative ones (68.4% in ACA positive group, 20.7% in ACA negative group p < 0.001). Conclusions Both anti-gp210 antibody and ACA are related to severe disease course and poor prognosis. For PBC patients with positive ACA, further examinations should be made to detect underlying SjS.