How do you know if you have autoimmune hepatitis?
Your doctor will use blood tests to look for evidence of autoimmune hepatitis. Blood tests include tests that check levels of the liver enzymes alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) and check for autoantibodies such as antinuclear antibody (ANA) and anti-smooth muscle antibody (SMA).
How does autoimmune hepatitis make you feel?
Common initial symptoms can include fatigue, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, weight loss, light colored stools, dark colored urine, joint pain, rashes, and loss of menstruation in women. Some may develop an enlarged liver (hepatomegaly) and/or spleen (splenomegaly).
What can I expect with autoimmune hepatitis?
Often, the symptoms of autoimmune hepatitis are minor. When symptoms do occur, the most common are fatigue, abdominal discomfort, aching joints, itching, jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes), enlarged liver, nausea and spider angiomas (blood vessels) on the skin.
What drugs can trigger autoimmune hepatitis?
Drugs. Medications that typically cause autoimmune hepatitis include minocycline, nitrofurantoin, hydralazine, methyldopa, statins, fenofibrate, alpha and beta interferon, infliximab and etanercept.
Does autoimmune hepatitis make you tired?
Autoimmune Hepatitis Symptoms Symptoms like fever, belly pain, and yellowing of your skin and eyes may come on suddenly. More often, the signs show up over weeks or months. The most common symptom is feeling tired.
What foods should I avoid with autoimmune hepatitis?
During this phase, foods like grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, nightshade vegetables, eggs, and dairy are completely avoided. Tobacco, alcohol, coffee, oils, food additives, refined and processed sugars, and certain medications, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) should also be avoided ( 1 ).
How do doctors diagnose autoimmune hepatitis?
Blood tests. Your doctor may order one or more blood tests to help diagnose autoimmune hepatitis.
What are the signs and symptoms of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH)?
feeling tired or weak
Can autoimmune hepatitis go away without treatment?
Stopping treatment without your doctor’s guidance and monitoring may be very dangerous. Some people with autoimmune hepatitis have an incomplete response to treatment, meaning that treatment helps but does not lead to remission. If you have an incomplete response to treatment, you may need to take different medicines to help prevent liver damage.
What is the best treatment for autoimmune hepatitis?
The “best” treatment for a disease can vary depending on the patient. For autoimmune hepatitis, the treatment is with Prednisone in combination with azathioprine, or with a higher dose of Prednisone alone. The combination is usually the preferred initial treatment because of the lower chance of side effects.