title: Autoimmune hepatitis: a study of 50 patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a well-defined entity in the West but there are sparse Indian data on this disease.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To study the clinical profile and response to treatment of Indian patients with AIH.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a part retrospective and part prospective study of 50 patients (median age 48 years, range 11-82; 43 women) seen between 1995 to 2001, diagnosed to have AIH as per the revised scoring system. Clinical and laboratory profile, response to treatment, and complications of treatment were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  AIH accounted for 6% of all patients with liver disease seen during the period. The presenting symptoms were gastrointestinal in 43 and non-gastrointestinal in 7, with median symptom duration of 6 months (range 2 weeks to 40 years). Forty patients (80%) had chronic liver disease. Associated illnesses were present in 28 patients. Twenty-six patients were classified as definite and the rest as probable AIH. Forty-nine patients had Type 1 AIH. Five patients had overlap syndrome. Forty-five patients (90%) received immunosuppressive therapy. Twelve of 18 patients receiving only prednisolone and 21 of 27 patients receiving prednisolone and azathioprine combination responded. Thirteen (26%) patients had therapy-related complications (infectious 5, non infectious 8) with two treatment-related deaths.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Type 1 AIH was the predominant type of AIH. The majority of patients with AIH presented with chronic liver disease. There was good response to immunosuppressive therapy. Therapy-related complications occurred in one-fourth of patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, P D Hinduja National Hospital and Medical Research Center, Mumbai 400 016.
authors.forename: Sandeep
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gohar
authors.forename: Devendra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Desai
authors.forename: Anand
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Joshi
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bhaduri
authors.forename: Ramesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Deshpande
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Balkrishna
authors.forename: Mukesh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chawla
authors.forename: Camila
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.forename: V R
authors.initials: VR
authors.lastname: Joshi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000906:Antibodies / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D019693:Hepatitis, Autoimmune / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008099:Liver / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D008105:Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents