How To Diagnose and Treat Autoimmune Hepatitis

Autoimmune hepatitis is a disease that makes the liver inflamed. The inflammation is the result of the immune system attacking the liver cells of the body. A majority of the people affected with autoimmune hepatitis are females. It is said that this disease can be affected by genetic factors. When left untreated, autoimmune hepatitis can severely damage the liver up to the point that it can no longer function.

Here is how autoimmune hepatitis is diagnosed:

• Symptoms. Watch out for the common symptoms of autoimmune hepatitis. The most common symptom is said to be fatigue. Some other symptoms may also manifest. Some of these can be vomiting, nausea, dark urine, jaundice, rashes, rheumatoid arthritis and abdominal pains. If you are experiencing some of these symptoms, it is best to have yourself checked by a physician, because some symptoms may overlap with other medical conditions, such as primary biliary cirrhosis.
• Tests. To determine if a patient has autoimmune hepatitis, two tests can be done. The first is the blood test. For the blood test, the liver enzymes are looked at to see if there are patterns that point to autoimmune hepatitis. The blood test will also reveal if it is indeed autoimmune disease or a similar disease, such as hepatitis B or hepatitis C. The second test is the liver biopsy. For the liver biopsy, a small sample of the liver tissue will be examined. The biopsy can determine the gravity of the illness.

Here are some of the treatments for autoimmune hepatitis:

• Medicines. If the autoimmune hepatitis was detected early, the treatment given is oral medication called prednisone or azathioprine. These medicines should be taken daily in dosages prescribed by the doctor. The medication is used to control the disease and prevent it from worsening. Some studies show that taking these medicines can repair the damage done by the disease. Most patients who take these oral medications get better after years of taking them but may relapse after a few years, which is why some patients are advised to take the medication for the rest of their lives. Note that taking these medications for a long time can have serious side effects.
• Liver transplant. For a patient whose liver already has extensive damage, liver transplant is needed. It is said that 90% of patients who have autoimmune hepatitis and have undergone liver transplant live up to a year after the transplant, while about 70% live up to five years after the transplant. There are also some cases wherein the autoimmune hepatitis comes back a few months or years after the transplant. Other patients can also be prone to other medical conditions, such as sepsis. That is why it is important to monitor the body’s condition.

If you have these symptoms, it is important to consult a physician immediately. You might also have other autoimmune diseases, such as the disease lupus. Lupus syndrome attacks the immune system, and it can be a deadly disease when not treated immediately.