Soluble Liver Antigen Antibody
Type 3 autoimmune hepatitis is the least established form of autoimmune hepatitis. It is characterized by the presence of antibodies to soluble liver antigen/liver pancreas (anti-SLA/LP). These antibodies have high specificity for autoimmune hepatitis. Patients with anti-SLA/LP are indistinguishable from patients with classic type 1 autoimmune hepatitis by age, sex distribution, frequency and nature of other autoantibodies. Therefore, the presence of anti-SLA/LP does not define a clinically distinct subgroup of patients, but may identify a subgroup of patients with type 1 autoimmune hepatitis who have more severe disease and a greater propensity to relapse after corticosteroid withdrawal.
The most important clinical application of testing for anti-SLA/LP may be to reclassify patients with cryptogenic chronic hepatitis as having autoimmune hepatitis. Approximately 25% of patients with cirrhosis test positive.
Reference range is negative.
