AUTOIMMUNE HEPATITIS – A CHRONIC CONDITION

WHAT IS AUTOIMMUNE HEPATITIS?

Autoimmune hepatitis is when your body’s infection-fighting system (immune system) attacks your liver cells. This causes redness and swelling (inflammation) and liver damage. It is a long-term or chronic inflammatory liver disease.

WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF AUTOIMMUNE HEPATITIS?

Autoimmune hepatitis may be classified as type 1 or type 2.

• Type 1 or Classic: It is the most common form of the disease. It may occur at any age but usually starts when you are a teen or young adult. It affects women more than men. It is often linked with other diseases where the body attacks itself (autoimmune disorders). These may include thyroiditis, Grave's disease, type 1 diabetes, and ulcerative colitis.
• Type 2: This type is less common. It most often affects girls between the ages of 2 and 14 years old.

WHAT CAUSES AUTOIMMUNE HEPATITIS?

Experts don’t know what causes autoimmune hepatitis. It is linked to a disorder called hypergammaglobulinemia. This disorder occurs when you have too many protein antibodies in your blood. It may be caused by a long-term (chronic) infection or certain blood diseases.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF AUTOIMMUNE HEPATITIS?

Each person’s symptoms may vary. Some of the most common symptoms may include:

• Extreme tiredness (fatigue)
• Yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice)
• Belly or abdominal pain
• Joint pain or swelling
• Mild flu-like symptoms
• Itching
• Large abdomen due to large liver and spleen
• Spider-like blood vessels in the skin

HOW IS AUTOIMMUNE HEPATITIS DIAGNOSED?

Some lab blood tests used to diagnose autoimmune hepatitis include:

• Liver Function Tests: These check for any redness and swelling (inflammation) or damage to your liver. It looks at the number and types of cells in your blood.
• Coagulation Panel: This test looks at how well the clotting proteins are working.
• Electrolyte Panel: This test checks to see if you have too many or too few minerals (electrolyte imbalance) in your blood.
• Autoimmune Antibodies: These are used to see if you have autoimmune hepatitis or another liver disease with similar symptoms.

You may also have imaging tests such as:

• CT Scan or Computed Tomography: A CT scan is more detailed than a standard X-ray
• MRI or Magnetic Resonance Imaging: This test makes detailed pictures of organs and structures inside your body. It uses a magnetic field and pulses of radio wave energy.
• Ultrasound: This uses high-frequency sound waves to create a picture of the organs. It can also check blood flow in blood vessels.
• Liver Biopsy: Small tissue samples are taken from your liver with a needle. These samples are checked under a microscope to find out the type of liver disease.

HOW IS AUTOIMMUNE HEPATITIS TREATED?

Treatment works best when autoimmune hepatitis is found early. The goal of treatment is to control the disease and to reduce or get rid of any symptoms (be in remission). To do this, medicines (corticosteroids and immune system suppressors) are used to help slow down or suppress your over- active immune system. They also stop your body from attacking your liver.

Once you have started treatment, it can take 6 months to a few years for the disease to go into remission. Some people can stop taking medicine, but often the disease comes back.

In some cases, autoimmune hepatitis may go away without taking any medicines. But for most people autoimmune hepatitis is a chronic disease.

It can lead to scarring of the liver (cirrhosis). The liver can become so badly damaged that it no longer works. This is called liver failure. If you have liver failure, a liver transplant may be needed.

WHY KIMS?

KIMS is highly regarded as a centre for the Treatment of Liver Diseases. It is the only hospital in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad that has a dedicated division that treats only liver diseases. In addition, KIMS has more liver specialists on staff than any other hospital or medical centre in the twin cities area.

Our doctors are respected worldwide for innovative research and state-of- the-art treatment for all forms of liver disease. Over many decades, doctors at KIMS have produced ground breaking results to improve our understanding of autoimmune liver diseases. Apart from understanding and providing treatment for autoimmune liver disease, our experts in the transplantation centre take care of any liver transplant you may need due to complications from autoimmune hepatitis.