Hepatitis

Question 1

How may a patient with hepatitis present?

Answer 1

Asymptomatic or non-specific symptoms:

Abdominal pain
Fatigue
Pruritis (itching)
Muscle and joint aches
Nausea and vomiting
Jaundice
Fever (viral hepatitis)

Question 2

What type of patients may get type 1 and type 2 autoimmune hepatitis?

Answer 2

Type 1 - adults, typically women in their late forties or fifties

Type 2 - teens or early 20s

Question 3

What will investigations show in autoimmune hepatitis?

Answer 3

Raised transaminases (ALT and AST), IgG levels and other autoantibodies

Question 4

What autoantibodies are associated with Type 1 autoimmune hepatitis?

Answer 4

Anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA)
Anti-smooth muscle antibodies (anti-actin)
Anti-soluble liver antigen (Anti-SLA/LP)

Question 5

What autoantibodies are associated with Type 2 autoimmune hepatitis?

Answer 5

Anti-liver kidney microsomes-1 (anti-LKM1)

Anti-liver cytosol antigen type 1 (anti-LC1)

Question 6

What treatment is given for autoimmune hepatitis?

Answer 6

Prednisolone whilst other immunosuppressant introduced such as azathioprine