An autopsy case of hepatitis B (HB) antigen-positive polyarteritis nodosa, with reference to immunopathological studies of vascular lesions

Abstract

An autopsy case of an 11-year-old boy with polyarteritis nodosa is described in which the onset of the disease was associated with the presence of hepatitis B (HB) antigens (Ag) in the cytoplasm and nuclei of hepatocytes as detected by immunohistological methods. Deposits of HBsAg, HBeAg, IgG, IgM, C3, and C1q were demonstrated in systemic vascular lesions. It is considered that the arteritis was due to deposition in the arteries of immune complexes formed by HBAg and HB antibodies.