Etiology and pathogenesis of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is still unknown. In several studies significantly increased antibody titers to measles virus in the sera of patients with AIH and chronic active hepatitis as compared to healthy people were observed. Aim of the study was to evaluate the humoral immunity against measles in children and adolescent with AIH after measles vaccination.
Material and methods: 110 subjects of both sexes aged 6-22 year (19 patients with AIH, 41 children with chronic hepatitis B and C (CH) and 50 healthy persons (HP) were tested to measles antibodies. Moreover mumps antibodies were examined for humoral immunity defects exclusion. All subjects were vaccinated against measles but none of them with mumps vaccine. Antibody were tested by enzyme immunoassays (EIA) and standardized by calibration against the International Standard. Geometrical mean concentration (GMC) of antibodies and the number of seropositive patients were calculated.
Results: Measles antibodies were found in all AIH patients (GMC 1.33 IU/ml (range 0.5-21.1 IU/ml)), in 85.4% of patients with CH (GMC 1.68 IU/ml (0.5-4.9 IU/ml)) and in 78% of HP (GMC 1.62 IU/ml (0.41-10 IU/ml)). The differences between the number of seropositive patients and between antibody concentrations in three groups were not significant. Mumps antibodies were detected in 82% AIH patients, 70% patients with CH and 76% HP. In AIH group higher antibody titer was observed than in patients with CH (p=0.047).
Conclusions: The vaccination with measles vaccine does not lead to immunoregulation disturbances in AIH patients in contrary to natural measles infection.