Learn About Autoimmune Hepatitis
View Main Condition: Hepatitis
Autoimmune hepatitis causes inflammation of the liver. It occurs when immune cells mistake the liver's normal cells for harmful invaders and attack them.
Lupoid hepatitis; Chronic active hepatitis
This form of hepatitis is an autoimmune disease. The body's immune system cannot tell the difference between healthy body tissue and harmful, outside substances. The result is an immune response that destroys normal body tissues.
Liver inflammation, or hepatitis, may occur along with other autoimmune diseases. These include:
- Graves disease
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Scleroderma
- Sjögren syndrome
- Systemic lupus erythematosus
- Thyroiditis
- Type 1 diabetes
- Ulcerative colitis
Autoimmune hepatitis may occur in family members of people with autoimmune diseases. There may be a genetic cause.
This disease is most common in girls and women.
Symptoms may include:
- Fatigue
- General discomfort, uneasiness, or ill feeling (malaise)
- Itching
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea or vomiting
- Joint pain
- Pale or clay-colored stools
- Dark urine
- Abdominal distention
Absence of menstruation (amenorrhea) may also be a symptom.
You may need prednisone or other corticosteroid medicines to help reduce the inflammation. Azathioprine and 6-mercaptopurine are medicines used to treat other autoimmune disorders. They have also been shown to help people with autoimmune hepatitis. Other medicines are occasionally used. The goal of treatment is to put the disease into remission, and then keep it into remission.
Some people may need a liver transplant.
Duke Endoscopy Clinic - Clinic 2H
Lindsay King is a Hepatologist and a Transplant Surgeon in Durham, North Carolina. Dr. King is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Autoimmune Hepatitis. Her top areas of expertise are Visceromegaly, Autoimmune Hepatitis, Enlarged Liver, and Hepatitis. Dr. King is currently accepting new patients.
Duke Liver/Intestine Transplant Clinic - Clinic 2B/2C
Carla Brady is a Hepatologist and a Transplant Surgeon in Durham, North Carolina. Dr. Brady is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Autoimmune Hepatitis. Her top areas of expertise are Hepatitis, Autoimmune Hepatitis, Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH), Cirrhosis, and Liver Transplant. Dr. Brady is currently accepting new patients.
Duke Gastroenterology Raleigh Endoscopy
Omobonike Sanders is a Gastroenterologist and a Hepatologist in Raleigh, North Carolina. Dr. Sanders is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Autoimmune Hepatitis. Her top areas of expertise are Visceromegaly, Autoimmune Hepatitis, Cirrhosis, Hepatitis, and Endoscopy. Dr. Sanders is currently accepting new patients.
The outcome varies. Corticosteroid and other medicines may slow the progress of the disease. However, autoimmune hepatitis may advance to cirrhosis. This could require a liver transplant.
Complications may include:
- Cirrhosis
- Side effects from steroids and other medicines
- Hepatocellular carcinoma
- Liver failure
- Bleeding from varices
- Ascites
- Hepatic encephalopathy
Contact your health care provider if you notice symptoms of autoimmune hepatitis.
In most cases, autoimmune hepatitis cannot be prevented. Knowing the risk factors may help you detect and treat the disease early.
Summary: There is a significant unmet need for safe and effective therapeutic approaches to prevent immune-mediated graft injury and its complications in liver transplant (LT) recipients with autoimmune liver disease (AILD) including autoimmune hepatitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis. Siplizumab is an anti-cluster of differentiation 2 (CD2) monoclonal antibody that has demonstrated a favorable safety ...
Summary: Identify specific blood biomarkers for hepatitis induced by immune checkpoint inhibitors in comparison to idiopathic autoimmune hepatitis.
Published Date: October 30, 2024
Published By: Jenifer K. Lehrer, MD, Gastroenterologist, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
Czaja AJ. Autoimmune hepatitis. In: Feldman M, Friedman LS, Brandt LJ, eds. Sleisenger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. 11th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 90.
Pawlotsky J-M. Chronic viral and autoimmune hepatitis. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 135.