How is autoimmune hepatitis treated?
Steroids are the first treatment, and many clinical studies show steroid therapy leads to major improvements in symptoms and blood tests, as well as increased survival. Eighty percent of patients on steroids show a good response, but this therapy does not prevent cirrhosis. Prednisone seems to be the most widely used of the steroids. The other treatment is a combination of prednisone and azathioprine, in which the major advantage is that the dose of steroids is reduced. The reduction lowers the chances for complications that come from taking steroids for a long time. However, azathioprine itself may cause significant side effects, especially suppression of the immune system, which may or may not be an improvement over the effects of prolonged steroid use. By itself, azathioprine is not effective in achieving a remission. The therapy is suggested and effective in severe forms of autoimmune hepatitis but not recommended for mild forms or those who don’t have symptoms. Therapy should cont
