Autoimmune Hepatitis

Autoimmune hepatitis is a form of liver inflammation. It occurs when the body's immune system attacks its own liver cells. Symptoms of the disease can include excessive tiredness, a lack of appetite, and jaundice. Autoimmune hepatitis is usually quite serious and can get worse over time if not treated. Although scientists do not know the cause or causes of autoimmune hepatitis, they speculate that certain bacteria, viruses, toxins, and drugs may trigger the disease in people who are genetically susceptible to it.

 

What Is Autoimmune Hepatitis?

Autoimmune hepatitis is a disease in which the body's immune system attacks liver cells. This causes the liver to become inflamed (hepatitis simply means inflammation of the liver).
 
Autoimmune hepatitis mostly affects women. About 70 percent of those with autoimmune hepatitis are women; most are between the ages of 15 and 40. However, autoimmune hepatitis can affect people of any age (including children) or ethnicity.
 

Autoimmune Hepatitis and the Immune System

One job of the immune system is to protect the body from viruses, bacteria, and other living organisms. Usually, the immune system does not react against the body's own cells. However, sometimes it mistakenly attacks the cells it is supposed to protect. This response is called autoimmunity.
 

What Causes Autoimmune Hepatitis?

Similar to other
 autoimmune diseases, scientists still do not know the cause or causes of autoimmune hepatitis and why the immune system turns against itself.
 
Researchers speculate that certain bacteria, viruses, toxins, and drugs trigger an autoimmune response in people who are genetically susceptible to developing an autoimmune disorder, such as autoimmune hepatitis. Researchers are trying to understand these factors and how they work together.
 
(Click Causes of Autoimmune Hepatitis for more information on possible genetic or environmental causes.) 
 

Symptoms of Autoimmune Hepatitis

Autoimmune hepatitis symptoms can range from mild to severe. They may start out slowly or abruptly. They may also come and go (this is known as having spontaneous remissions and exacerbations).
 
Some of the most common symptoms of autoimmune hepatitis at diagnosis include:
 
  • Excessive tiredness
  • A lack of appetite
  • Jaundice (yellowing of the skin or the whites of the eyes).
     
(Click Autoimmune Hepatitis Symptoms for more information on the symptoms of autoimmune hepatitis, including serious symptoms that can occur.)
 

Autoimmune Hepatitis Diagnosis

In order to make a diagnosis of autoimmune hepatitis, the healthcare provider will begin by asking a number of questions and performing a physical exam to look for signs and symptoms of autoimmune hepatitis. If he or she suspects autoimmune hepatitis, tests will be done. Among the tests that may be used to diagnose autoimmune hepatitis are:
 
  • Blood tests that look at the levels of liver enzymes and antibodies
  • A liver biopsy.
     
The pattern and levels of antibodies in the blood help define the type of autoimmune hepatitis a person has (see Autoimmune Hepatitis Types).
 
(Click Diagnosing Autoimmune Hepatitis for more information on how autoimmune hepatitis is diagnosed.)
 

Other Conditions That Share Symptoms With Autoimmune Hepatitis

There are a number of conditions that have the same symptoms as autoimmune hepatitis. The healthcare provider will consider these conditions before diagnosing autoimmune hepatitis. Some of these conditions include:
 

Treatment for Autoimmune Hepatitis

Treatment for autoimmune hepatitis consists primarily of using medicine to suppress a person's overactive immune system. The corticosteroid prednisone is a common form of treatment. Another medicine that may be used to treat autoimmune hepatitis is azathioprine (Imuran®). Azathioprine is often prescribed in addition to prednisone to lower the dose of prednisone required. In more severe cases of autoimmune hepatitis, treatment options may include other immunosuppressive agents.
 
With proper treatment, autoimmune hepatitis can usually be controlled. In fact, recent studies show that sustained response to autoimmune hepatitis treatment not only stops the disease from getting worse, but may also actually reverse some of the damage it causes.
 
(Click Autoimmune Hepatitis Treatment for more detail on how this disease is treated. Click Life Expectancy With Autoimmune Hepatitis to read more about the prognosis for people with autoimmune hepatitis, as well as factors that can influence a person's prognosis.)
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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD