title: Systematic review with meta-analysis: clinical manifestations and management of autoimmune hepatitis in the elderly.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Autoimmune hepatitis is an uncommon chronic progressive inflammatory disease of the liver, characterised by hypergammaglobulianemia, circulating autoantibodies, and interface hepatitis histologically. It is traditionally thought to be a disease of young women. However, recent epidemiological and retrospective studies suggest that it might be a disease predominantly of older women. Studies of AIH in elderly patients have been fairly limited.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the differences in the clinical presentations and the management of AIH in the elderly and the younger patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a search on MEDLINE (from 1946), PubMed (1946) and EMBASE (1949) through to November 2013 using the terms 'autoimmune hepatitis in the elderly', and the combinations of 'Autoimmune hepatitis' AND the following terms: 'elderly', 'aging', 'older patients', and 'older'. The reference lists of relevant articles were also searched for appropriate studies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 1063 patients were identified with AIH in 10 retrospective studies. The definition of 'elderly' ranged from 60 to 65 years; 264 elderly and 592 younger patients were included for analysis. Elderly, 24.8%, were more likely to present asymptomatically, cirrhotic at presentation and HLA-DR4-positive. They are less likely to be HLA-DR3-positive and to relapse after treatment withdrawal after complete remission.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  AIH is an important differential in elderly patients with cirrhosis or abnormal LFTs. Elderly are more likely to be cirrhotic and asymptomatic at presentation. Glucocorticoids use should be readily considered in the elderly patients as the current evidence suggests that they respond well to the therapy, with less relapse after treatment withdrawal.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Nepean Hospital, Penrith, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: G D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Eslick
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weltman
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015803:HLA-DR3 Antigen / Q000032:analysis; D015804:HLA-DR4 Antigen / Q000032:analysis; D006239:Haplotypes; D019693:Hepatitis, Autoimmune / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids; D015803:HLA-DR3 Antigen; D015804:HLA-DR4 Antigen