Causes Of Autoimmune Hepatitis

Liver Damage

Injury to the liver can cause autoimmune hepatitis or an illness that mimics autoimmune hepatitis. Liver damage can be caused by rare side effects of some medications and herbal remedies. It can also result from overconsumption of alcohol or ingestion of certain poisons. Over time, a damaged liver can accumulate scar tissue, leading to cirrhosis. This is a severe chronic condition that prevents the liver from functioning normally. Symptoms of liver injury include extreme tiredness, abnormally dark urine, and yellowing of the skin and eyes. If these symptoms are ignored, the condition may progress to liver failure, at which point it may still be possible to save part of the liver. In some cases, the patient may require a liver transplant. Transplants are usually used as a last resort for people with autoimmune hepatitis, but they have a high success rate.

Continue for more information on the various causes of autoimmune hepatitis now.

Viruses And Infections

Sometimes, viruses and infections can trigger autoimmune diseases such as autoimmune hepatitis. This happens when the immune system gets confused and begins to attack the body's own cells after fighting off a certain type of virus or bacteria. This may be because certain cells in the body resemble bacteria or viruses, at least from the point of view of the immune cells. In the case of autoimmune hepatitis, there may be a virus or bacteria with some of the same markers as liver cells. When the body develops an immunity to that virus or bacteria, it also develops an immunity to the liver cells by mistake. There is no known way to prevent this from happening. Once the immune system starts mistakenly recognizing something as a threat, it cannot return to normal.

Keep reading to learn about how autoimmune hepatitis is diagnosed.