Hepatitis C is a widespread chronic liver disease leading to cirrhosis and to the complications of portal hypertension. Based on biochemical and clinical features, it is almost indistinguishable from autoimmune hepatitis, which is characterized by the absence of viral infection, and other causes of chronic liver diseases, and represents a classical autoimmune disease with loss of immunological tolerance of liver tissue. Although the differentiation between both diseases is not difficult due the availability of diagnostic viral markers, it is well recognized that not only are autoantibodies present in autoimmune hepatitis frequently detected in hepatitis C, but also that an array of immune-mediated symptoms and diseases occur in patients with chronic hepatitis C. This has prompted research aimed at identifying a link between hepatitis C and autoimmunity, and autoimmune hepatitis in particular. This review focuses on the general immunological mechanisms linking viral infections with autoimmunity and includes the specific features of hepatitis C- and D-associated autoimmunity. Virus infection remains at the center of molecular and cellular research aimed at identifying the forces driving human autoimmunity and autoimmune diseases.

中文翻译：

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自身免疫和丙型肝炎。

丙型肝炎是一种广泛的慢性肝病，可导致肝硬化和门脉高压症。基于生化和临床特征，它与自身免疫性肝炎几乎没有区别，自身免疫性肝炎的特征是没有病毒感染和其他引起慢性肝病的原因，并且代表了经典的自身免疫性疾病，肝组织免疫耐受性下降。尽管由于可以使用诊断性病毒标志物，两种疾病之间的区分并不困难，但众所周知，不仅在丙型肝炎中经常检测到自身免疫性肝炎中存在的自身抗体，而且在肝炎中也出现了多种免疫介导的症状和疾病。慢性丙型肝炎患者 这促使旨在确定丙型肝炎和自身免疫性之间的联系，尤其是自身免疫性肝炎的研究。这篇综述着重于将病毒感染与自身免疫联系起来的一般免疫学机制，并包括与丙型肝炎和丁型肝炎相关的自身免疫的具体特征。病毒感染仍然是分子和细胞研究的中心，旨在确定驱动人类自身免疫和自身免疫疾病的力量。