A disease where the body attacks the liver, autoimmune hepatitis causes inflammation of the liver. Statistically, 70 percent of those with this condition are female. It is a serious illness that can be chronic, leading to cirrhosis. There are two basic types of the condition.
Autoimmune Hepatitis Types
Type 1 autoimmune hepatitis often starts in young adults and is the most common form. Type 2 autoimmune hepatitis usually affects 2 to 14 year old girls and is less common. 50 percent of those with type 1 have other autoimmune conditions.
Treating Autoimmune Hepatitis
There are two medications used to treat this condition, prednisone and azathioprine. Prednisone is a daily dose of corticosteroid, given 30 to 60 milligrams a day to start then tapering to 10 to 20 milligrams per day. Azathioprine is added after the prednisone has been lowered or it may be began with the prednisone. After treatment, 70 percent of the people will go into remission within three years. The treatment may be used sporadically throughout their lives.
Side Effects from Autoimmune Hepatitis Treatment
The side effects can be something that starts with the first dose, or may only come after long term use. Prednisone side effects can be lowered when the dose is lowered.
Prednisone side effects include:
Weight gain, diabetes, hair and skin thinning, osteoporosis, anxiety, confusion, high blood pressure, cataracts, and glaucoma.
Azathioprine side effects include:
Nausea, lowered white blood cell count, and poor appetite. Rare side effects include liver damage, pancreatitis, and allergic reactions.
Alternative Treatments
Those that do not respond to the typical treatment, or those that may have severe side effects with the treatment, may be given different immunosuppressive agents. These may be cyclosporine or tacrolimus. Those that have cirrhosis may need to be treated with a liver transplant. Liver transplants have a 70 to 80 percent five-year survival rate and a 90 percent one-year survival rate.
Source: The National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC) NIH Publication No. 08-4761