[Autoimmune hepatitis and overlap syndrome: therapy]

Abstract

Autoimmune Hepatitis (AIH), primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) represent acute and chronic inflammatory liver diseases in which immune reactions against host antigens are found to be the major pathological mechanism. Only for AIH there is evidence of an autoimmune etiology and humoral and cellular immune reactions are found directed against various liver cell antigens. By diverse autoantibodies several subgroups of autoimmune hepatitis can be distinguished. A very important disease promoting factor seems to be the genetically determined background for autoimmunity characterized by the HLA haplotype A1, B8 and DR3, respectively DR4. Although the histopathology of AIH shows no pathognomonic features distinguishing this type of hepatitis from virus induced chronic hepatitis there are some distinct characteristic morphological lesions. If untreated the prognosis of AIH is unfavourable but the benefit from immunosuppressive therapy with prednisolone and azathioprin is well established. In the last years there was increasing evidence for an overlap syndrome between AIH and PBC and rarely AIH and PSC. These patients are characterized by PBC characteristic bileduct lesions and oftenly antimitochondrial antibodies (AMA). They also show AIH typical inflammatory hepatic lesions in the periportal areas and portal tracts and oftenly the typical genetical background, the HLA haplotype A1, B8, DR3 or DR4. Most of these patients respond probably to a combination therapy containing prednisolon, azathioprine and ursodesoxycholic acid that leads to the reduction of the inflammatory activity.