Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2018 Jul;97(30):e11621.
doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000011621.

Autoimmune hepatitis following influenza virus vaccination: Two case reports

Tokio Sasaki  1 , Yuji Suzuki, Kazuyuki Ishida, Keisuke Kakisaka, Hiroaki Abe, Tamotsu Sugai, Yasuhiro Takikawa
Affiliations
Case Reports

Autoimmune hepatitis following influenza virus vaccination: Two case reports

Tokio Sasaki et al. Medicine (Baltimore). 2018 Jul.

Abstract

Rationale: Although immunization could possibly cause autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), to date, no cases of AIH have been reported secondary to influenza virus vaccination. This paper describes 2 women who developed AIH after receiving influenza virus vaccination.

Patient concerns and diagnoses: Two women presented with elevation of liver enzymes after receiving influenza virus vaccination. Both patients were diagnosed with AIH using the International Autoimmune Hepatitis Group criteria.

Intervention and outcomes: Both patients were treated with prednisolone. After the initiation of prednisolone, serum aminotransferase levels were observed to return to the reference range in both patients.

Lessons: Influenza virus vaccination could trigger the development of AIH. Clinicians should be mindful of the fact that AIH can occur after influenza virus vaccination.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A, The portal tract is observed to have expanded and shows lymphocytic infiltration with lymphoid follicles. The parenchyma shows steatosis. B, Lymphocytic infiltration is observed, and an acidophilic body (arrow) is observed in the parenchyma.
Figure 2
Figure 2
A, The portal tract shows heavy lymphocytic infiltration, which extends irregularly into the adjacent tissue. B, Interface hepatitis can be observed with large numbers of lymphocytes and plasma cells (arrows).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Liberal R, Grant CR, Mieli-Vergani G, et al. Autoimmune hepatitis: a comprehensive review. J Autoimmune 2013;41:126–39. - PubMed
    1. Ohira H, Abe K, Takahashi A, et al. Autoimmune hepatitis: recent advances in the pathogenesis and new diagnostic guidelines in Japan. Intern Med 2015;54:1323–8. - PubMed
    1. Czaja AJ, Manns MP. Advances in the diagnosis, pathogenesis, and management of autoimmune hepatitis. Gastroenterology 2010;139:58–72. - PubMed
    1. Vento S, Guella L, Mirandola F, et al. Epstein-Barr virus as a trigger for autoimmune hepatitis in susceptible individuals. Lancet 1995;346:608–9. - PubMed
    1. Al-Hamoudi WK. Severe autoimmune hepatitis triggered by varicella zoster infection. World J Gastroenterol 2009;15:1004–6. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types