In a person who has autoimmune hepatitis, the body's immune system attacks liver cells. This part of the eMedTV archives provides information on who autoimmune hepatitis affects, its common symptoms, and how the disease may be diagnosed and treated.
The three types of autoimmune hepatitis are type 1, type 2, and type 3. This part of the eMedTV archives discusses how often each of these autoimmune hepatitis types occurs, who it affects, and how it may be diagnosed and treated.
The cause or causes of autoimmune hepatitis may be linked to genetic and environmental factors. This eMedTV article outlines these possible autoimmune hepatitis causes (which could include certain genes, toxins, or drugs).
Is autoimmune hepatitis contagious? No, autoimmune hepatitis is not contagious. As this eMedTV article explains, most researchers believe that a genetic factor may put some people at a higher risk of developing autoimmune hepatitis.
Some early symptoms of autoimmune hepatitis include muscle pain, nausea or vomiting, and a sore throat. This eMedTV page also gives an overview of late autoimmune hepatitis symptoms and symptoms that can occur in a person who also develops cirrhosis.
This eMedTV page lists tests a doctor may use for diagnosing autoimmune hepatitis (like a liver biopsy). This page also explains that the doctor will consider other conditions that can have the same symptoms as autoimmune hepatitis (like liver cancer).
Autoimmune hepatitis is commonly treated with daily doses of the corticosteroid prednisone. This eMedTV page provides detailed information about autoimmune hepatitis treatment, including other drugs that may be tried.
This page on the eMedTV site discusses some factors that can affect life expectancy with autoimmune hepatitis (such as how well a person does with medicines), as well as the information a doctor will use to arrive at an autoimmune hepatitis prognosis.
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