Anti-mitochondrial antibody

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Anti-mitochondrial antibodies (AMA) are antibodies (immunoglobulins) formed against mitochondria,^[1] primarily mitochondria in cells of the liver. The presence of AMAs in the blood or serum of a person is indicative of a disease called primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC)^[2] (a scarring of liver tissue, confined primarily to the bile duct drainage system of the liver). It is present in about 95% of cases.^[3]

Primary biliary cirrhosis is seen primarily in middle-aged women, and in those afflicted with other autoimmune diseases. PBC is an autoimmune disorder, a condition in which the human body's immune defense system mistakenly attacks the body's own cells, or in this case parts of the cells.

[edit] See also

• Mitochondrion
• Antibodies

[edit] References

1. ^ MedlinePlus Encyclopedia 003529
2. ^ FPnotebook GI111
3. ^ Oertelt S, Rieger R, Selmi C, Invernizzi P, Ansari A, Coppel R, Podda M, Leung P, Gershwin M (2007). "A sensitive bead assay for antimitochondrial antibodies: Chipping away at AMA-negative primary biliary cirrhosis". Hepatology 45 (3): 659-65. PMID 17326160.