Abstract: Objective To analyze the expression of antinuclear antibodies (LIA-ANAs) in patients with chronic hepatitis C and the relationship of LIA-ANAs with HCV-RNA and HCV genotype. Methods A total of 149 patients with chronic hepatitis C and 93 healthy participants from the First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China were recruited in this study from April 2019 to April 2022. The expression levels of LIA-ANAs were detected by western blotting. HCV-RNA and HCV genotype were detected by PCR-fluorescent probe and PCR-reverse dot hybridization, respectively. Results Among the 149 patients, 56 were HCV-RNA positive and 93 were negative. LIA-ANAs were detected in 25 of 56 HCV-RNA positive chronic hepatitis C patients, with a positive rate of 44.6%; 21 LIA-ANAs were detected in 93 HCV-RNA negative patients, with a positive rate of 22.6%; and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P=0.004 8). The 56 HCV-RNA positive patients were divided into high and low groups in terms of copy amount. There was no significant difference in the positive rate of LIA-ANAs between the two groups (P=0.578 9). Furthermore, the positive rate of cytoplasmic antibody in the HCV-RNA positive group was higher than that in the HCV-RNA negative group, with the difference being statistically significant (P=0.020 4). The HCV-RNA positive group was similar in the rate of positive ANA titer to the HCV-RNA negative group (P=0.124 9). The main HCV genotype in the patients was type 1b, accounting for 80.4% (45/56); however, no significant difference was observed in the LIA-ANAs detected in the serum of patients with different HCV genotypes (P=0.244). Conclusion Compared with the healthy group, the expression of serum LIA-ANAs in patients with chronic hepatitis C was significantly increased, and the expression of LIA-ANAs in active chronic hepatitis C patients was significantly higher than that in inactive patients. This finding suggests that patients with chronic hepatitis C need regular monitoring of LIA-ANAs to intervene in the occurrence of related complications.

Key words: Hepatitis C virus, Antinuclear antibody spectrum, HCV-RNA, Genotyping