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Antibodies to smooth muscles in the blood
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Normal antibodies to smooth muscles in the serum are absent.
Antibodies to smooth muscle (AGM) are antibodies to the protein actin or non-actin components (tubulin, vimentin, desmeline and skeleton) and appear in response to damage to the hepatocytes. Antibodies to smooth muscle are detected by indirect immunofluorescence.
Antibodies to smooth muscles are detected in 60-80% of cases of autoimmune (lipoid) hepatitis (in titer 1:80 and above), in 50% of cases of primary biliary cirrhosis and are not detected in systemic lupus erythematosus and lesions of extrahepatic biliary tract. Antibodies to smooth muscles are present in 70% of patients with chronic active hepatitis and belong to the class of IgG.
Antibodies to smooth muscles are found in acute viral hepatitis, when they recover from the latter, they disappear. In a number of cases, antibodies to smooth muscles can be detected in low titres for infectious mononucleosis, CMV infection, mycoplasmal pneumonia, lymphoproliferative diseases, drug addiction, infertile women, malignant neoplasms, and sometimes in healthy people. In these groups of patients, antibodies to smooth muscles are classified as IgM.
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