Autoimmune hepatitis is a form of liver inflammation that occurs when the body's immune system attacks its own liver cells. While the disease can affect people of any age or ethnicity, it occurs most commonly in women. Among the most common symptoms of autoimmune hepatitis are a lack of appetite, excessive tiredness, and jaundice (or yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes). There are two types of autoimmune hepatitis: type I and type II. Type I autoimmune hepatitis is the most common form of the disease seen in the United States.

 

Among the tests a healthcare provider may use for diagnosing autoimmune hepatitis are certain blood tests and a liver biopsy. Autoimmune hepatitis treatment consists mainly of using medication to suppress a person's overactive immune system. Prednisone and azathioprine are among the medicines that may be used to treat autoimmune hepatitis.