Use

Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is an organ-specific autoimmune disease that predominantly affects women and is characterized by chronic progressive destruction of small intrahepatic bile ducts with portal inflammation and ultimately fibrosis. PBC affects women more than men (female:male ratio of 1:9) and typically occurs between the ages of 30 and 65. The prevalence of PBC in first-degree relatives of PBC patients range is from 1.3 to 6.4%. Serologic assays are important aids to the recognition and diagnosis of PBC since many antibodies associated with PBC are present before symptoms become evident. Anti-gp210and/or sp100 antibodies can be detected in approximately 25% of all PBC patients and 30% of AMA-negative PBC patients. The gp210 and sp100 antibodies have a relatively low sensitivity, but the specificity is greater than 99%. Additionally, the antibodies may identify a subgroup of patients with a more severe disease course. The gp210 and sp100 EIA will provide clinicians with additional serological markers for detection of PBC and may help earlier identification, diagnosis, and treatment of patients negative for conventional markers of PBC. Combined testing for three markers (M2, gp210 and sp100) identified 92% of PBC patients.