| Theme | Prognosis of Liver Diseases | |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Prognosis of Autoimmune Hepatitis | |
| Publish Date | 1997/10 | |
| Author | Fumitoki Watanabe | Internal Medicine I, The Jikei University, School of Medicine |
| Author | Gotaro Toda | Internal Medicine I, The Jikei University, School of Medicine |
| [ Summary ] | Autoimmune hepatitis(AIH) is observed more frequently in Caucasians and results in liver cirrhosis. A recent nationwide survey in Japan revealed that the course of Japanese AIH is mild, suggesting that the difference in clinical background involves genetic factors. The 10-year survival rate of AIH patients treated with corticosteroids in Japan reached 85%. However, long-term follow up is needed of drug therapy because of its adverse effects. In Japan, patients who have hepatitis C virus infection constituted a substantial fraction (10%). Moreover, about 5% of the patients were anti-nuclear antibody negative. | |