Anti Actin Antibodies (IFA)
Sample: Serum
Schedule: Daily
Units: Titer
Range: Negative
Remarks: Anti Actin (Smooth Muscle, ASMA) antibody is present in patients with acute and chronic hepatitis. The highest titers are observed in Chronic Active Hepatitis. In viral hepatitis the ASMA titers usually are low (Up 1:64) and are transient. It has been demontrated that most HBsAg negative patients are ASMA positive.
Antinuclear antibodies (ANA Hep-2 cells), ASMA, and anti-mitochondrial autoantibodies (AMA) occur in Chronic Active Hepatitis and are used in the differential diagnosis of autoimmune hepatitis: Chronic Active Hepatitis patients with positive ANA and ASMA have high titers that are readily demonstrable by immunofluorescent techniques. ASMA test is quite helpful in the diagnosis of almost 70% of the cases of Chronic Active Hepatitis.
A positive ASMA test helps to rule out Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), as in this disease ASMA test is almost always negative. A positive ASMA test may be found in about half of patients with primary biliary cirrhosis ( low titers), in up to 25% of patients with cryptogenic cirrhosis, and in patients with Infectious Mononucleosis
