Inflammatory liver disease of unknown origin, which has a chronic nature, is called autoimmune hepatitis. Unfortunately, this disease is not so rare, and it affects mostly women at a young age. The main danger is that this ailment provokes severe liver damage, cirrhosis and insufficiency.
Symptoms of Chronic Autoimmune Hepatitis
In the normal state of health and the body, the disease at first can occur without clinical manifestations, so often hepatitis is diagnosed at the stage of serious changes in the hepatic parenchyma and cirrhosis.
Nevertheless, the ailment often makes itself felt and suddenly, with a pronounced symptomatology.
Signs of autoimmune hepatitis:
- darkening of urine to the color of black tea or dark beer;
- icterus of the skin, sclera;
- weakness, drowsiness, a constant sense of fatigue;
- lack of appetite;
- pain in the right hypochondrium , severity;
- discomfort in the upper epigastric region;
- fever;
- skin rashes.
In addition, extrahepatic manifestations and disturbances in the functioning of other body systems may occur:
- hirsutism ;
- amenorrhea;
- ulcerative colitis;
- vitiligo;
- arthralgia;
- hemolytic anemia;
- iridocyclitis;
- myocarditis;
- pleurisy.
Diagnosis of autoimmune hepatitis
It is difficult to determine exactly this type of disease, because all the symptoms are similar to other varieties of viral acute hepatitis.
For the statement of the exact diagnosis, special laboratory, biochemical and ultrasound examinations, biopsy, are necessarily conducted.
According to the criteria accepted in the international medical community, autoimmune hepatitis is characterized by such indicators:
- in the blood there are no markers of active viral infections of hepatitis A, B, C;
- increased activity of ALT and ASAT;
- the antibody titres exceed 1:80;
- the level of y-globulins is more than 1.5 times or higher;
- in the anamnesis there is no alcoholic, narcotic dependence.
In this autoimmune hepatitis type 1 is diagnosed due to the presence of antibodies in the blood SMA or ANA, 2 types - anti-LKM-I, 3 types - SLA.
Thanks to ultrasound, it is possible to reveal the degree of necrotizing the parenchyma and liver tissues, and to increase it. Biopsy is performed for the morphological analysis of the sample, detection of disease activity and its progression.
Treatment of autoimmune hepatitis
Mainly, the therapy is based on the use of corticosteroid hormones, which simultaneously contribute to suppressing the response of the immune system and stopping the inflammatory process.
Usually, a long course of Prednisone (prednisone) is given in the form of intravenous infusions. After several months of treatment, the dosage of the drug is reduced, and the therapy acquires a supportive character. In addition, the scheme adds another medication - Delagil. The duration of the course can be up to 6-8 months, after which it is necessary to constantly monitor the hepatologist and preventive therapy.
In those situations where hormone treatment does not produce the desired effect and hepatitis is characterized by multiple relapses, it makes sense to perform an operation for liver transplantation.
Diet in autoimmune hepatitis
As with other varieties of the described disease, nutrition is recommended according to the rules and norms of table number 5 for Pevzner.
It excludes any choleretic products, fatty and fried foods, fresh pastries, sweets, especially chocolate and cocoa.
Drinking alcohol is strictly prohibited.
Cereals, pasta, baked pastry, bread of 1 and 2 sort flour (yesterday's), vegetables, fruits and berries (only sweet) are allowed.