stillman
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Joined: 14 Jul 2005
Posts: 15
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 Posted: 08/18/05 - 06:06 Post subject: |
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Hey there,
This is a disease, where body’s immune system attacks liver cells. This is specific for autoimmune diseases, that immune system reacts against the body's own cells and this is called autoimmunity. Some people are more prone to developing autoimmunity (besides, some toxins and drugs trigger autoimmunity). With hepatitis, this means liver become inflamed, so disease is quite serious and it is chronic, which means it last more years. Eventually disease can lead to cirrhosis, liver failure and death. So, disease is quite serious and, if not treated, it gets worse over time.
Interesting factor is, that autoimmune hepatitis has genetic predisposition and mostly women are effected (more than 70 % are women, between age 15 and 50). There are also two types of autoimmune hepatitis, type I and type II. Later is less common and it affects mostly very young girls (till 14 years old), while type I is more common with women with other autoimmune diseases (for example, such as diabetes).
The most common symptom of autoimmune hepatitis is fatigue. Besides fatigue enlarged liver, jaundice, skin rashes, pain in joints, nausea, vomiting and abdominal discomfort, dark urine, pale or gray stool.
I hope this will do…
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