Autoimmune hepatitis: what is it, what are its symptoms and how can it be treated?

Exist. There are those caused by viruses (A, B, C, D and E), those caused by abusive consumption of drugs, or hepatitis caused by toxins. But to this long list we must add one more, autoimmune hepatitis.

This rare type of pathology occurs when the immune system attacks liver cells causing inflammation of the liver.

One of the characteristics of this hepatitis is that it predominantly affects women, as occurs with other autoimmune diseases, and that it has two incidence peaks: in adolescence and between 40-60 years, they explain from the .

Symptoms of autoimmune hepatitis

Another of the particularities of this liver pathology is that a third of the patients do not present symptoms.

In these cases, the diagnosis usually occurs by chance when the patient performs a routine blood test and its results show very high levels of transaminases.

But these levels are also high in the other types of hepatitis, so another series of analyzes and tests will have to be carried out to determine that it is an autoimmune one.

Despite what has been seen, some patients may suffer some symptoms such as:

  • Fatigue.

  • abdominal discomfort.

  • Jaundice: yellowing of the skin and the white area of ​​the eyes.

  • Enlarged liver (hepatomegaly).

  • Itching.

  • Pain in the

  • Menstrual disturbances.

As in practically all diseases, early diagnosis is essential. And in the case of autoimmune hepatitis, if it is not treated in time, it can cause cirrhosis and liver failure.

In some cases it does not give symptoms and is detected in a routine blood test. Stefanerpik. freepik

Can autoimmune hepatitis be treated?

Being a pathology caused by an alteration of the immune system, the first-line treatment for the remission of this hepatitis is based on the administration of immunosuppressive drugs. Drugs that allow in many cases to control and stop the disease.

Clinical guidelines recommend an indistinct use of budesonide or prednisone; however, in clinical practice the use of budesonide is scarcer. And this is striking because prednisone used in high doses for a long time (as is often the case in these patients) can cause numerous side effects such as:

  • Hypertension

  • Diabetes

  • Osteoporosis

  • Waterfalls.

To determine which of the two drugs is more effective in treating autoimmune hepatitis, a study was carried out in our country with 381 patients recently diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis:

  • 105 patients treated with budesonide as first-line drug

  • 276 patients treated with prednisone.

The study concludes, in view of the results, that the efficacy of budesonide was inferior to that of prednisone as a first-line drug, although it was associated with the development of fewer clinically relevant side effects.

But this does not mean that budesonide is not used, but rather that it is more indicated for less severe patients.

As he affirms Dr. Diaz-Gonzalezhepatologist at the Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital in Santander and one of the research coordinators:

  • “The results of this study are highly relevant and clinically applicable, allowing different hepatologists to help in making decisions when treating a disease as complex as autoimmune hepatitis.”

Recommendations for patients

In addition to these treatments, digestive specialists also remember some guidelines to be followed by patients suffering from autoimmune hepatitis:

  • Go to reviews.

  • Lead a healthy life.

  • Healthy and balanced diet.

  • Eliminate alcohol consumption.

  • Do not take medications that cause liver damage.

  • Perform physical exercise.

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