What does positive anti smooth muscle antibody mean?

If your results show a high amount of SMA antibodies, it probably means you have the type 1 form of autoimmune hepatitis. A lower amount may mean you have the type 2 form of the disease. If no SMAs were found, it means your liver symptoms are being caused by something different than autoimmune hepatitis.

What causes elevated anti smooth muscle antibody?

The ASMA test can help a doctor determine whether a person has a disease that damages the liver, such as autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cirrhosis, or primary sclerosing cholangitis. Also, levels of ASMA can be elevated if a person has hepatitis C, infectious mononucleosis, or certain cancers.

What is a normal smooth muscle antibody?

They have been found in less than 2% of the normal population. Antibody titres are in the range of 160 to 320 in Type 1 chronic active hepatitis but are often lower, in the other conditions listed above. They can be found in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis but probably not SLE.

What is actin smooth muscle antibody test?

The smooth muscle (SMA) or actin antibody test is primarily ordered along with antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and liver kidney microsomal type 1 (LKM-1) antibodies to help diagnose autoimmune hepatitis and to differentiate between the two major types of autoimmune hepatitis, type 1 and type 2.

What drugs can trigger autoimmune hepatitis?

Drugs. Medications that typically cause autoimmune hepatitis include minocycline, nitrofurantoin, hydralazine, methyldopa, statins, fenofibrate, alpha and beta interferon, infliximab and etanercept.

How is autoimmune liver disease diagnosed?

Your doctor will use blood tests to look for evidence of autoimmune hepatitis. Blood tests include tests that check levels of the liver enzymes alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) and check for autoantibodies such as antinuclear antibody (ANA) and anti-smooth muscle antibody (SMA).

Is a positive ANA test serious?

Results. The presence of antinuclear antibodies is a positive test result. But having a positive result doesn’t mean you have a disease. Many people with no disease have positive ANA tests — particularly women older than 65.

What is the significance of smooth muscle antibody?

Anti-smooth muscle antibody is a blood test that detects the presence of antibodies against smooth muscle. The antibody is useful in making a diagnosis of autoimmune hepatitis .

Is smooth muscle striated or not striated?

So, they are also called voluntary muscles. Non striated muscle: The muscle which show no cross striations are called non striated muscles or unstriped muscles. They look smooth, hence are called smooth muscles. Their activity of these muscles are not under the control of the will of the animal, so they are known as involuntary muscles.

Are smooth muscles striated or smooth?

Smooth muscle is an involuntary non-striated muscle. It is divided into two subgroups; the single-unit (unitary) and multiunit smooth muscle. Within single-unit cells, the whole bundle or sheet contracts as a syncytium.

What is smooth muscle AB titer?

Smooth muscle antibodies (SMA) are autoantibodies, proteins produced by the body’s immune system that recognize and attack its own actin, a protein found in smooth muscle and other tissues, especially the liver. This test detects and measures the amount ( titer) of SMA (or antibody against actin) in the blood.