Limjoco - Autoimmune & Alcoholic Liver Disease, NAFLD Flashcards
What disorder?
- A chronic, progressive hepatitis of unknown cause in which the immune system attacks the body’s own hepatocytes.
- elevated transaminases ALT, AST
- certain serum autoantibodies
- necroinflammatory activity on liver biopsy
- favorable response to immunosuppression
- Untreated, can lead to cirrhosis and/or liver failure!
Liver Autoimmune Hepatitis
What disorder?
- First described in 1940s, previously called “chronic active hepatitis,” “lupoid hepatitis”
- Incidence is 1.9/100,000 - mostly white northern Europeans (unknown, but likely similar in the US?)
- Mostly female (78%), but AIH can affect any age, sex
Liver autoimmune hepatitis
What type of Liver Autoimmune Hepatitis?
Depending on antibodies:
A. Middle-aged & older usually (but any age can be affected), more common in US
- ANA, ASMA mainly
- ASLA/LPAg, AMA also
B. Children & teens usually, southern Europe
- Anti-LKM-1 (attacks CYP2D6 on plasma membrane of cell)
- ACL-1 (anti-liver cytosol-1)
A. Type 1
B. Type 2
Etiology of what disease?
- Unknown cause
- Environmental triggers - drug or infection?
- Genetic predisposition: North America / Europe: HLA-DR3 (DRB1*0301) and HLA-DR4 (DRB1*0401, China / Japan: HLA-DR4 (DRB1*0405)
Liver Autoimmuine Hepatitis
Clinical presentation of what disease?
- Incidental finding - many subclinical, 25% no symptoms
- Acute hepatitis 25-30% - flu-like symptoms, fatigue, jaundice, anorexia, hepatomegaly
- Concurrent autoimmune conditions in 50% - thyroiditis, arthritis, Sjogren syndrome, etc.
Liver Autoimmune Hepatitis
Presentation of Liver Autoimmune Hepatitis:
- May present as fulminant with __________
- Overlap syndrome - clinical and histologic features of both autoimmune hepatitis with what two disorders?
- Cirrhosis at presentation 6-85%
- Considered a chronic disease, so duration of symptoms does not affect diagnosis or nomenclature
- Encephalopathy
- AIH-PBC (Primary Biliary Cirrhosis), AIH-PSC (Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis)
Lab findings of what disease?
- Elevated transaminases ALT, AST
- Serology
- Autoantibodies ANA, ASMA, anti-LKM-1
- Polyclonal serum immunoglobulins (esp. gamma globulins)
- Liver biopsy
Liver Autoimmune Hepatitis
What do the hepatocyes form on histology?
Bonus: What type of cells are characteristically found?
- Rosette Formation
- Bonus: Plasma cells (characteristic of, but not exclusive to, AIH)
In those few who present with ________:
- Mortality 40% in 6 months
- Cirrhosis in 40% of survivors
Need to treat AIH****
- Dramatic response to ____________ (90%)
- Non-responders - present with cirrhosis, Type 2; may try other drugs
- Early diagnosis, intervention vital
- Fulminant hepatitis
- immunosuppression
How is autoimmune hepatitis treated?
- ___________ - remission in 80% (normalize AST, ALT, Igs)
- Relapse in 50% w/ treatment withdrawal
- Reinstate original treatment for remission
Bonus: Short term or Lifelong treatment?
- Immunosuppression –> Prednisone
Azathioprine (Imuran)
Bonus: LIFELONG! needs to be continuously monitored
Fact:
Liver transplant
- 75% survive 10 yrs
- 20% AIH recurs in transplant
What are some examples of xenobiotics?
- Therapeutic agents, environmental toxins (“xeno”- “foreign”)
- Alcohol
- Drugs
- Steroids
What organ:
- major drug metabolizing, detoxifying organ, thus exposed to myriad therapeutic and environmental agents
- Conversion of xenobiotic into active toxin
- Through immune mechanisms
- Can produce effects on the liver from:
- Trivial (cholestasis) to severe (liver failure/fulminant hepatitis or chronic liver disease)
- Attribute injury by showing temporal association or recovery on withdrawal
Liver
Types of what reactions?
-
Predictable
- Dose-dependent
- Acetaminophen - accidental or intentional overdosing
-
Unpredictable/idiosyncratic
- Immune-mediated destruction of liver cell/bile duct
- Direct cytotoxicity
- Chlorpromazine
- Halothane
Drug toxic reactions
Drugs like methotrexate and alcohol can cause the liver to become _____________
Steatohepatotic (cause steatohepatitis)
- What can occur with anabolic steroid use?
- What can occur with OCP use?
- Steroids - formation of bile plugs in the canaliculi
- OCPs - cholestatic feathery degeneration of the liver
What is the is most common cause of acute liver failure needing transplantation?
- Each year in the US, overdoses from this send 55,000 to 80,000 people to the ER. At least 500 people die from this (per CDC, FDA).
- Daily dose - 4000 mg
In US today, acetaminophen overdose
- A predictable hepatotoxin
- See coagulative necrosis and ballooning degeneration
What disorder?
- over a long period
- results in a spectrum of pathologic liver changes
- Leading cause of liver disease in most Western countries
- In the world, causes 3.8% of deaths (8th highest risk factor for death)
Forms of liver injury:
- Steatosis (fatty change)
- Alcoholic (Steato-) Hepatitis (necroinflammatory changes)
- Steatofibrosis
Alcoholic liver diease