Abstract

BUTTO, Jenny et al. Does early autoimmune hepatitis diagnose prevent from cirrhosis?. Gen [online]. 2012, vol.66, n.1, pp.11-14. ISSN 0016-3503.

Introduction: Autoimmune hepatitis (HAI) is a progressive chronic inflammatory hepatopathy with higher prevalence in females characterized by autoantibodies presence, elevation of aminotransferases and hipergammaglobulinemia. Another important characteristic is that it can develop into a rapid cirrhosis, so early diagnosis is vital. The purpose of our study is to evaluate the time spent between initial symptoms and final diagnosis, and it relation with the presence of cirrhosis. Patients and Methodology: An analytic, retrospective non experimental study was performed. We reviewed the clinical records of 51 patients from April 1996 to September 2010 who attended the consultation of gastroenterology in the J. M. de los Ríos Children's Hospital with the diagnose of HAI according to clinical criteria, serological and histological. We excluded 3 patients for two reasons. 1. They were presenting associated pathologies 2. They were receiving immunosuppressive treatment. Results: the ages vary from 2 to 15 years old (mean 8.3±3.2 ED); female prevail with (72.9%). The predominant symptoms were jaundice (81.3%), coluria (47.9%) and abdominal pain (39.5%). The diagnosis was made on average 8.4 ± 7.3 months after the beginning of the symptoms. 50% were diagnosed in the first 6 months, from these 54.2% presented with cirrhosis and 33,3% with fibrosis. Conclutions: HAI must be considered in pediatric patients with inflammatory hepatopathy clinical history in order to make an early and opportune diagnosis due to its rapid evolution to cirrhosis.

Keywords : Autoimmune hepatitis; early diagnosis; cirrhosis of the liver.