title: Rapid corticosteroid tapering: Important risk factor for type 1 autoimmune hepatitis relapse in Japan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Patients with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) sometimes relapse after immunosuppressive therapies are discontinued or sometimes even while they are still being administrated. Furthermore, relapse often occurs in the absence of AIH relapse risk factors. This study aimed to identify the frequency of relapse and to analyze the risk factors associated with relapse in type 1 AIH patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical characteristics and therapeutic processes were assessed in 129 type 1 AIH patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Relapse was identified in 39 (30.2%) type 1 AIH patients after alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level normalization. ALT levels significantly increased when corticosteroid treatment was initiated in relapsed patients compared with that in patients with sustained remission. The reduction dose and rate of corticosteroid taper were significantly increased in relapsed patients compared with those in sustained remission patients. Moreover, positive correlations were identified between the reduction dose/taper rate and initial corticosteroid dose, and ALT levels, total bilirubin levels and hepatitis activity. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified the corticosteroid reduction rate as significantly associated with AIH relapse.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Corticosteroid reduction taper rate until ALT normalization is an important AIH relapse risk factor.
authors: Department of Gastroenterology and Rheumatology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan.
authors: Atsushi
authors: A
authors: Takahashi
authors: Department of Gastroenterology and Rheumatology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan.
authors: Hiromasa
authors: H
authors: Ohira
authors: Department of Gastroenterology and Rheumatology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan.
authors: Kazumichi
authors: K
authors: Abe
authors: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan.
authors: Yasuhiro
authors: Y
authors: Miyake
authors: Department of Gastroenterology and Metabology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Toon, Japan.
authors: Masanori
authors: M
authors: Abe
authors: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan.
authors: Kazuhide
authors: K
authors: Yamamoto
authors: Department of Hepatology, Toranomon Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors: Yoshiyuki
authors: Y
authors: Suzuki
authors: Department of Gastroenterology and Metabology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Toon, Japan.
authors: Morikazu
authors: M
authors: Onji
authors: Kagoshima City Hospital, Kagoshima, Japan.
authors: Hirohito
authors: H
authors: Tsubouchi
keywords: autoimmune hepatitis; corticosteroid taper rate; relapse; risk factors