الفهرس 
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Abstract
This study included 5 groups of patients as well as a group of healthy subjects as controls. The first group included 40 patients with HCV (25 males and 15 females), with mean age 46.20 years.The second group included 20 patients with HBV (14 males and 16 females), with mean age 39.75 years. The third group included 20 patients with HCC (18 males and 2 females), with mean age 51.35 years.The forth group included 10 patients with AIH (6 males and 4 females), with mean age 24.20 years. And The fifth group included 10 patients with bilharsiasis (8 males and 2 females), with mean age 39.70 years. The control group included 20 healthy age- and sex-matched individuals (15 males and 5 females), with mean age 31.70 years.
Full history was taken from all patients and controls concerning age, sex, occupation, Jaundice, bilharziasis, smoking, alcohol intake, and rheumatological manifestations. All patients were subjected to:-
1- Thorough clinical examination with special emphasis to extrahepatic manifestations of chronic HCV infection (eg. arthritis, skin lesions, vasculitis).
2- Urine and stool analysis.
3- Abdominal ultrasonography.
4- Laboratory investigations which included :
• Liver function tests (serum bilirubin, albumin, AST, ALT, alkaline phosphatase, GGT).
• Hepatitis markers (HCV-antibodies, HBsAg, HBcAb) by ELISA.
5- Testing for HCV-RNA by PCR.
6- HCV Genotyping.
7- Anti-schistosoma antibodies by indirect hemagglutination .
8- Liver biopsy.
The studied patients were then subjected to testing for the following autoantibodies:-
1- Rheumatoid factor (RF) by slide latex agglutination test.
2- ANA, ASMA, APCA, AMA, and anti-LKMI by indirect immuno-flourescence technique.
3-ANCA by ELIZA
The results revealed that:
• RF, ASMA, ANCA were significantly more prevalent among patients with HCV compared to the controls.
• RF and ASMA were significantly more prevalent among patients with HCC compared to the control group.
•There was no significant difference among patients with HBV compared to the control group.
• ASMA and LKM1 were significantly more prevalent among patients with AIH compared to the control group.
•There was no significant difference among patients with bilharsiasis compared to the control group.
•RF was significantly more prevalent among patients with HCV and HCC compared to those with HBV, AIH, bilharziasis, and the control group.
• ANA was significantly more prevalent among patients with AIH compared to those with HCV, HCC and HBV but no significant difference was detected between bilharsiasis group and other groups.
• ASMA was significantly more prevalent among patients with HCV and HCC compared to those with bilharziasis, and the control group. - ASMA was also significantly more prevalent among patients with AIH compared to patients with HCV, HBV, bilharziasis and the control group.
• AMA was not detected in this study.
• LKM1 was only detected among patients with AIH .
• APCA showed no statistical difference between the studied groups. ANCA was significantly more prevalent among patients with HCV compared to the control group.
There was no relation between the occurrence of autoantibodies and the presencse of cirrhosis.
• There was no relation between occurrence of autoantibodies and viral load, genotype and interferon- α treatment among patients wiyh chronic hepatitis C.<br Prevalence of LKM1 was significantly higher among females than males.
• RF, ASMA, and ANCA were more significantly found among older age groups, while LKM1 was more significantly found among younger age groups. On the other hand, there was no significant relation between age and presence of ANA and APCA.
• The presence of RF, ANA, ASMA, and LKM1 was significantly associated with higher ALT levels; the presence of ANA, ASMA, and LKM1 was significantly associated with higher AST levels; and the presence of ANA, ASMA, and LKM1 was significantly related to higher alkaline phosphatase levels. >•Autoantibodies were commonly found among patients in our study with chronic HCV infection. There was a high prevalence of ASMA, ANCA and RF in these patients, but ANA was found at low percent of them. On the other hand, RF, ASMA, and ANCA were present at low rates among patients with HBV.
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