What is autoimmune hepatitis?
Autoimmune hepatitis is liver inflammation that occurs when your body's immune system turns against liver cells.
The exact cause of autoimmune hepatitis is unclear, but genetic and enviromental factors appear to interact over time in triggering the disease.
Untreated autoimmune hepatitis can lead to scarring of the liver (cirrhosis) and eventually to liver failure.
When diagnosed and treated early, however, autoimmune hepatitis often can be controlled with drugs that suppress the immune system.
A liver transplant may be an option when autoimmune hepatitis doesn't respond to drug treatments or in cases of advanced liver disease.
Symptoms
Signs and symptoms of autoimmune hepatitis may include:
- Fatigue
- Abdominal discomfort
- Yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice)
- An enlarged liver
- Abnormal blood vessels on the skin (spider angiomas)
- Skin rashes
- Joint pains
- Loss of menstrual periods
Causes
Autoimmune hepatitis occurs when the body's immune system, which ordinarily attacks viruses, bacteria and other pathogens, instead targets the liver.
This attack on your liver can lead to chronic inflammation and serious damage to liver cells.
Just why the body turns against itself is unclear, but researchers think autoimmune hepatitis could be caused by the interaction of genes controlling immune system function and exposure to particular viruses or drugs.
Doctors have identified two main forms of autoimmune hepatitis: Type 1 autoimmune hepatitis and type 2 autoimmune hepatitis.
Risk factors
- Being female.
- A history of certain infections.
- Heredity.
- Having an autoimmune disease.
Source:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/autoimmune-hepatitis/symptoms-causes/syc-20352153
