What is the difference between autoimmune hepatitis?

Autoimmune hepatitis means under itselfinflammatory processes in the liver associated with disorders in the functioning of the immune system, in which there is an aggression on the body's own tissues. Below, we will discuss this disease in more detail, and also consider the primary symptoms and the main ways to combat this problem.

Interesting information

Such a disease is considered extremely dangerous, soas it often provokes the appearance of cirrhosis, portal hypertension, as well as the so-called hepatic insufficiency. Unfortunately, so far scientists have not been able to find out why autoimmune hepatitis occurs. There is a point of view that the disease occurs due to viral hepatitis A. Others are inclined to think that the hereditary factor of the defect of the immune system is to blame for everything. It is noteworthy that this ailment is more often diagnosed in girls than in young men.

Symptoms

According to experts, autoimmune hepatitiscan begin their development suddenly and very rapidly. On the other hand, there are cases when the disease for several years did not declare itself, manifested only by fever attacks, pains and

discomfort in the muscles, increased fatigue. Often autoimmune hepatitis is diagnosed in patients already at the extreme stage of liver cirrhosis. In this case, the patient appears jaundice, darkening of the urine and discoloration of stool. Note that unlike other types of related ailments, chronic autoimmune hepatitis progresses continuously and without spontaneous remission. In some cases, there are improvements in the patient's well-being, but the biochemical processes themselves do not normalize.

Autoimmune hepatitis. Diagnostics

According to experts, at the momentThe diagnosis can be confirmed by determining in the serum of so-called specific antibodies (SMA, ANA, SLA, LKM, LMA). It is depending on the specific combination of these antibodies that the types of the disease are distinguished: I, II, III.

Treatment

After confirmation of the diagnosis in the mandatorythe individual physician should be prescribed by the doctor, based on the health indicators and the survey performed. So, as a rule, it implies a corticosteroid hormone therapy. Often such a course lasts for years, of course, with all the ensuing unpleasant consequences. So, patients often seriously suppressed the immune system, which in turn leads to a decrease in the resistance of the whole organism to various kinds of infections, the appearance of diabetes, hypertension, the formation of ulcers directly in the stomach and duodenum. Modern methods of extracorporeal hemocorrection, offered by experienced doctors, help to achieve a remission of the disease somewhat faster, and also to extend it as much as possible in the future. In this case, the number of drugs used with hormones is minimal.