Fallatah HI, Akbar HO. Autoimmune hepatitis as a unique form of an autoimmune liver disease: immunological aspects and clinical overview.
Autoimmune Dis 2012;
2012:312817. [PMID:
23304455 PMCID:
PMC3530748 DOI:
10.1155/2012/312817]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2012] [Revised: 09/09/2012] [Accepted: 10/12/2012] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a unique form of immune-mediated disease that attacks the liver through a variety of immune mechanisms. The outcomes of AIH are either acute liver disease, which can be fatal, or, more commonly, chronic progressive liver disease, which can lead to decompensated liver cirrhosis if left untreated. AIH has characteristic immunological, and pathological, features that are important for the establishment of the diagnosis. More importantly, most patients with AIH have a favorable response to treatment with prednisolone and azathioprine, although some patients with refractory AIH or more aggressive disease require more potent immune-suppressant agents, such as cyclosporine or Mycophenolate Mofetil. In this paper, we discuss the immunological, pathological and clinical features of AIH, as well as the standard and alternative treatments for AIH.
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