Autoimmune hepatitis

Diagnosis

The patient may or may not have symptoms or indicators of AIH. Physical examination and some standard tests, such as imaging and blood testing, will be the first things a healthcare provider recommends.

• Blood tests: A thorough metabolic panel blood test will reveal signs of liver illness. Antibody testing on a blood sample can distinguish between viral and other illnesses with similar symptoms and autoimmune hepatitis. Determine the specific form of autoimmune hepatitis you have with the help of antibody tests.
• Liver biopsy: A liver biopsy is conducted by a healthcare provider to confirm the diagnosis and to ascertain the kind and severity of liver damage. A thin needle is inserted into the liver through a tiny skin incision during the surgery to remove a small amount of liver tissue. The sample is subsequently delivered to a lab for evaluation.

Treatment

The goal of treatment is to reduce or stop the immune system’s attack on the liver, regardless of the type of autoimmune hepatitis. This might slow the disease’s development. They will require immunosuppressive drugs to achieve this goal. Prednisone is typically the first course of treatment. Prednisone may be advised in conjunction with azathioprine (Azasan, Imuran), another drug.
Prednisone can have a number of serious adverse effects, particularly if it is used for an extended period of time. These include diabetes, osteoporosis, osteonecrosis, high blood pressure, cataracts, glaucoma, and weight gain.

For the initial month of treatment, healthcare providers frequently prescribe prednisone at a high dosage. Once they’ve reached the lowest dose that can control the disease, they progressively reduce the dose over the following several months to reduce the chance of side effects. Azithromycin is a supplement that lessens the negative effects of prednisone.

Even though the patient may go into remission a few years after treatment, the disease frequently recurs if the medication is stopped. Depending on the circumstance, they can need ongoing care.

Liver transplant

When medications are unable to stop the advancement of the disease or when irreversible scarring (cirrhosis) or liver failure occurs, the final resort is a liver transplant.

A liver transplant involves the removal of your diseased liver and its replacement with a healthy liver from a donor. Deceased organ donors are most commonly used as a source of livers for transplantation. However, in certain situations, a living-donor liver transplant may be an option. In a living-donor liver transplant, you receive a portion of a healthy liver from a living donor. Both the donated liver and the remaining portion of your liver begin regenerating new cells almost immediately.