title: Felty's syndrome with chronic hepatitis and compatible autoimmune hepatitis: a case presentation.
abstract: A 68-year-old woman with Felty's syndrome was admitted to our hospital due to breathlessness. She was diagnosed as having rheumatoid arthritis at age 59 years. Abdominal computed tomography indicated ascites, splenomegaly and liver atrophy. She had no antigens or antibodies for hepatitis virus, or antibodies for mitochondria with the exception of antinuclear antibody. According to the International Autoimmune Hepatitis (AIH) scoring system, she was diagnosed as having chronic hepatitis, compatible with AIH. The association of Felty's syndrome with AIH is very rare and the most difficult problem to overcome is whether or not steroid therapy is necessary in patients with Felty's syndrome complicated by AIH.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Nerima Hikarigaoka Nihon University Hospital, Tokyo.
authors.forename: Kaori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sema
authors.forename: Masami
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takei
authors.forename: Kumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Uenogawa
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Horikoshi
authors.forename: Yoshifumi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hosokawa
authors.forename: Masakazu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsuda
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Henmi
authors.forename: Shigemasa
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sawada
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001201:Ascites / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D001707:Biopsy, Needle / Q000379:methods; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005258:Felty Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D019693:Hepatitis, Autoimmune / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D017093:Liver Failure / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed