Complementary use of autoantibody detection methods facilitates diagnosis of juvenile autoimmune hepatitis and autoimmune sclerosing cholangitis.

ABSTRACT:

Background & aims

The diagnosis of juvenile autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is challenging given its heterogeneous presentation. Autoantibodies, typically detected by immunofluorescence testing (IFT), together with liver histology, represent key diagnostic features. Polyreactive immunoglobulin G (pIgG) has recently emerged as a complementary biomarker in AIH. This retrospective multicentre study aimed to compare ELISA-based autoantibody testing and IFT on HEp-2 cells with the gold standard of IFT on rodent tissue sections in children with autoimmune and non-autoimmune liver diseases.

Methods

Autoantibody detection was performed centrally at Hannover Medical School using three commercial antinuclear antibody (ANA) ELISAs, one commercial F-actin ELISA, one in-house pIgG ELISA, and

SUBMITTER: Kirchner T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12857373 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature