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Liver antibodies LKM, Mitochondrial, Smooth muscle

Immunology

Sample and container requirements

Serum

Minimum volume required

4 ml Blood

Special requirements

none

Patient preparation

None

Sample viability

Store at 4oC

Turnaround time

5 days

Reference range

Negative

Clinical guidance

Some indications: LKM:- Autoimmune liver disease Mitochondrial :- Primary Bilary Cirrhosis Anti-Mitochondrial Antibodies (AMA) are strongly associated with Primary Biliary Cirrhosis (PBC), although they can be seen in other autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic sclerosis and chronic liver disease . Different types of AMA are described, based on antigen specificity, designated on a numeric basis: M1 to M9. The AMA associated with PBC is usually M2a or M2b. Not all can be typed by IIF . Smooth muscle antibody:- Autoimmune chronic active hepatitis (AICAH) Smooth Muscle Antibodies (SMA) can be found in the normal adult population. Positive samples are titred to give a quantitative result,high titres occur in patients with viral infection (such as hepatitis B and adenovirus) and autoimmune chronic active hepatitis. Low titres are common and not strongly associated with autoimmunity https://labtestsonline.org.uk/tests/anti-lkm-1 https://labtestsonline.org.uk/tests/ama https://labtestsonline.org.uk/tests/smooth-muscle-antibody

Notes

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This information was last updated on 19 August 2026