FS. Mitochondrial antibody in primary biliary cirrhosis and other diseases. Ann Intern Med

Mitochondrial antibody was detected in the serum in 84 % of 188 patients with primary biliary cirrhosis, 1 1 % of 77 with chronic active hepatitis, 6 % of 33 with cryptogenic cirrhosis, and 0.8 % of 1328 with other diseases involving liver, biliary tract, or collagen but in none of 332 with acute or chronic viral hepatitis. Primary biliary cirrhosis was readily excluded by liver biopsy findings in antibody-positive patients with other diseases, except chronic active hepatitis. Mitochondrial antibody provides reliable confirmatory evidence of primary biliary cirrhosis when the biopsy findings are consistent. Its hepatic lesions are distinctive but may be difficult to distinguish from those of chronic active hepatitis and cryptogenic cirrhosis, diseases that may be etiologically related in some cases. The hepatiti