General characteristics of autoimmune hepatitis

Autoimmune liver diseases include: autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cirrhosis, primary sclerosing cholangitis and their overlapping diseases known as overlapping syndromes, also known as variant syndromes. Autoimmune hepatitis is an unexplained, progressive inflammatory process that can occur in children and adults of any age, mostly in women (male to female ratio of 1:3.6). AIH has a worldwide incidence and accounts for 15% to 20% of chronic hepatitis. AIH is based on an autoimmune response with characteristic hypergammaglobulinemia and high serum autoantibodies. The main histological changes are hepatocyte necrosis and inflammation, manifested as inflammation in and around the portal duct area. dd debris-like necrosis (PN). Since the inflammatory cell infiltration associated with PN is located at the junction of the parenchymal and interstitial regions of the liver lobules, it is called interfacial hepatitis from the inflammatory point of view, and interfacial hepatitis is a typical pathological histological feature of AIH. Because a significant proportion of patients with AIH respond to anti-inflammatory drugs and/or immunosuppressive therapy, they are prone to develop cirrhosis if not treated effectively. Therefore, it is clinically important to differentiate AIH from other types of chronic liver disease.