Autoimmune Hepatitis Causes Fatigue, Cirrhosis Symptoms for Autoimmune Hepatitis Treatment
Autoimmune hepatitis is a type of inflammation in your liver. With this form of hepatitis your own body’s immune system antibody cells mistakenly attack your liver cells.
Autoimmune hepatitis is serious, and if left untreated it can lead to cirrhosis and eventually liver failure. Why your body turns against itself is not clear, but autoimmune hepatitis seems to be triggered by:
- certain drugs ~ overdose of acetaminophen for instance
- infections ~ hepatitis A & B, measles, Epstein Barr, mono
Your symptoms for autoimmune hepatitis can happen suddenly or develop over time, and be minor to severe. Some don’t encounter any, or very little, evidence of the disease at its earliest stages.
However, fatigue is a prevalent symptom as autoimmune hepatitis progresses toward cirrhosis. Other symptoms giving notice of this liver issue involve:
- itching
- anemia
- malaise
- jaundice
- arthralgia
- dark urine
- skin rashes
- enlarged liver
- loss of appetite
- spider angiomas
- pale, gray stools
- nausea & vomiting
- stomach discomfort
- abdominal distention
In the advanced stages of autoimmune hepatitis, you’ll likely experience additional health symptoms related to chronic liver disease, like:
- ascites
- amenorrhea
- mental confusion
Autoimmune hepatitis symptoms are similar to severe viral hepatitis or drug induced hepatitis.
It’s not unusual for those suffering with fatiguing autoimmune hepatitis to have a variety of complications or other autoimmune disorders in conjunction, such as:
- thyroiditis
- celiac sprue
- type 1 diabetes
- Graves’ disease
- ulcerative colitis
- hemolytic anemia
- pernicious anemia
- rheumatoid arthritis
- Sjogren’s syndrome
- Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
- thrombocytopenic purpura
- proliferative glomerulonephritis
Because fatigue and other symptoms don’t always appear in the early stages of autoimmune hepatitis, some develop irreversible cirrhosis prior to diagnosis. Complications of cirrhosis include:
- edema
- ascites
- liver failure
- liver cancer
- mental changes
- portal hypertension
- bruising & bleeding
Autoimmune hepatitis is treated with a daily dose of corticosteroid to reduce inflammation and suppress your overactive immune system. Prednisone and other corticosteroids, such as azathioprine and mercaptopurine, are the drugs often prescribed.
Drug treatment routinely begins with a high dose and then reduced to the lowest possible dose. For a high percentage of autoimmune hepatitis cases, the disease goes into remission within a couple of years after treatment starts. And corticosteroid treatments may be suspended during your period of hepatic letup.
Treatment works best if your autoimmune hepatitis is caught early. With proper treatment, autoimmune hepatitis can very often be controlled.
In all likelihood, you’ll need to take autoimmune hepatitis drug treatments on an off throughout your life. Or until a healthier form of treatment is discovered.
Relative Health Blurbs:
- Cholestasis Bile Obstruction Blockage Causes Itching Jaundice Symptoms
- Kidney Failure Ankle Swelling Symptoms, Leg Swelling Signs and Diet Restriction Treatment
- Pancreatic Cancer Causes Fatigue, Abdominal Pain, Jaundice, Weight Loss Symptoms for Treatment
- Nephropathy Kidney Disease, Diabetic Nephropathy, IgA Nephropathy, Contrast Induced Nephropathy
- Causes for Biliary Bile Duct Cholecystitis, Cancer, Cirrhosis, Sclerosing Cholangitis, Bile Reflux Symptoms
- Hepatitis C Infection Causes Dark Urine, Appetite Loss, Jaundice, Abdominal Pain Symptoms and Liver Damage
