[Clinical manifestation and pathological change of autoimmune hepatitis].
OBJECTIVE
To determine clinical manifestation and pathological changes in autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) by liver biopsy.


METHODS
The clinical manifestation and pathological changes by liver biopsy in 14 AIH patients were investigated retrospectively.


RESULTS
Clinically, AIH affects females with a females/male ratio of 13/1, the age range was 28-66 year; there was extended elevation of ALT and AST, hyperglobulinemia, hypergammaglobulinemia with predominant elevation of IgG and different kinds of antibodies. Patients usually had autoimmune diseases with pathological change of typical chronic hepatitis. The levels of globulin (33 approximately 60 g/L), gammaglobulin (23.9% approximately 60.5%), IgG (8.2 approximately 39. 0 g/L), ds-DNA (1.5 approximately 58.0 g/L) in AIH were significantly higher than those of normal (t=9.7, 9.3, 6.2, 3.5, P<0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
AIH has severe liver impairment with many other symptoms due to multi-systemic damage out of liver. AIH is a distinct autoimmune disease.
Yu
Q
Q
Zhongshan Hospital, Shanghai Medical University. Shanghai 200032, China.
Wang
J
J
Jiang
L
L
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D019693:Hepatitis, Autoimmune / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged