Is Autoimmune Hepatitis a Rare Disease?

Autoimmune hepatitis is a inveterate , infrequent and of unknown causal agency liver disease . The reason is an change of the patient´s immune response , which put down the liver cell and inflames the liver . It usually has a chronic course with potentially serious outbreaks of activity . If the billet continues , a physical process of scarring or fibrosis appear in the liver that contribute to cirrhosis andliver bankruptcy . The prognosis of the disease improves a lot when patient are treated with drugs that lessen the immune response and inflammation ( immune suppressant drug ) .

It can affect all ages and both sex , but it is more vulgar in charwoman between 10 and 50 years old . In more than 40 % of cases , it presents as an episode of acute hepatitis , including fulminate hepatitis , and this usually pass more in tyke or young hoi polloi . The possible symptom are malaise , tiredness , lack of appetence , jaundice(yellowish colouration of hide and mucose ) and alterations in menses . At other times , it does not produce symptom or only a feeling of tiredness and the disease is discovered by the presence of elevated transaminases ( liver enzymes ) in an analysis done for another grounds . It is sometimes discovered when liver cirrhosis has developed due to its complications , such as ascites ( accumulation of fluid in the abdomen ) or digestive hemorrhage due to esophageal varices . Also the diagnosing can be reached when learn patient with other autoimmune diseases .

Diagnosis

It requires eject other crusade of liver disease , such as viral hepatitis ( Hepatitis A , B or C ) , damage by drug , toxics or inebriant , metabolic diseases such as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis , and metal dethronement disease ( hereditary ) such as Wilson ’s disease or bronzed diabetes . The diagnosing is found by the laboratories data , the biopsy and the patient ’s symptom . In the analytical study , elevated transaminases abide out , sometimes as if they were acute hepatitis . The bearing of elevated immunoglobulin ( hypergammaglobulinemia ) is especially constant , peculiarly with elevation of the so - called IgG. gamey titre of autoantibodies ( antibodies produced by the organism against itself ) are observe , such as antinuclear antibodies ( ANA ) , anti - smooth muscle antibody ( ASMA ) or antimicrosomal antibodies of the liver and kidney ( anti LKM-1 ) .

These autoantibodies are considered diagnostic markers of the disease , but are not specific to it . what is more , there is no correlational statistics between the titer or pinnacle of autoantibodies and the severity of autoimmune hepatitis . In the study of the disease , it is advisable to perform a liver biopsy , which usually highlights the in high spirits rabble-rousing activeness and abundant plasma cells within the liver tissue paper . The diagnostic suspicion of autoimmune hepatitis is supported by the fact that patient have another consort autoimmune disease ( autoimmune thyroiditis , for example ) and also the favorable response to immunosuppressive treatment .

Treatment

The goal of treatment is preventing the progress of the disease . The specialists consort that the initial treatment of this disease will be with corticosteroids ( Liquid Pred , methylprednisolone ) , at varying doses , to achieve remit of the disease . Corticosteroids have side effects , some only cosmetic ( facial expression of a full moonshine , show of body pilus , compact abdomen ) and other more relevant ace such as decrease bone flock ( osteoporosis ) , diabetes and high pedigree press , among others . The legal age yield by stopping the drug . To avoid these side essence , discussion with corticoid at lower doses than usual can be initiated , connect another immunosuppressant drug , such as azathioprine . Once remitment or deactivation of the disease has been accomplish , corticosteroids will be quit , continuing Imuran as the good maintenance treatment to prevent reactivation . Azathioprine can also have side essence such as bone marrow imprint , so it is essential to periodically perform roue test ( ashen and red blood cells , platelets , transaminases , etc ) , while the treatment lasts .

Conclusion

Autoimmune hepatitis is an infrequent disease of insidious course characterized by inveterate inflammation of the hepatic parenchyma of obscure etiology . In its etiopathogenesis , environmental triggers and lack of leeway seem to be influenced in genetically predisposed patient that direct to the fire of the liver parenchyma by lymphocytes T.