Autoimmune hepatitis: Medical treatment & Alternatives

Autoimmune hepatitis is an autoimmune disease in which your body's immune system will attack the liver cells of the same organism. What might this cause? Well, because of this, the liver will become inflamed, and this will result in hepatitis. There are many symptoms and warning signs of autoimmune hepatitis, including fatigue, skin rash, an enlarged liver, and many more. Who is most at risk?

Researchers think that a genetic factor may predispose some people to these types of autoimmune diseases. Studies have also shown that women are most likely to develop autoimmune hepatitis, where they found out that about 70 percent of those with autoimmune hepatitis are women. Most autoimmune hepatitis patients are between the ages of 15 and 40. Autoimmune hepatitis is usually quite serious and, if it is not treated soon, it will continue to get worse over time. That is why it's incredibly important to catch autoimmune hepatitis in its early stages.

What exactly do you need to know about autoimmune hepatitis?

What is autoimmune hepatitis?

This is usually a chronic disease, meaning it can last for years, and can lead to cirrhosis. Cirrhosis involves scarring and hardening of the liver, and eventual liver failure.
Autoimmune hepatitis could be type I or II. Type I is the most common form in North America, occurring at any age. It is more common among women than among men. About half of those with type I have other autoimmune disorders, such as thyroidosis, Graves' disease, Sjogren's syndrome, or autoimmune anemia.
Type II autoimmune hepatitis is less common, typically affecting girls aged 2 to 14, although adults can have it as well.

Autoimmune diseases

The primary function of the immune system is to protect the body from viruses, bacteria, and other invasive living organisms. Usually, the immune system does not react against the body’s own cells due to the “education” of lymphocytes in the thymus before birth. However, sometimes it mistakenly attacks the cells it is supposed to protect, so this response brings autoimmunity problems. Researchers speculate that certain bacteria, viruses, toxins, or some drugs can trigger an autoimmune response in people who are genetically susceptible to developing an autoimmune disorder.