Authors : T.M. Samad , H.M. Zadeh and O. Mashrabi
Abstract: Autoimmune Hepatitis (AIH) is a disease of unknown etiology. The incidence rate of AIH in European countries amounts to 0.69 per 100,000 of the population per year. Autoimmune Hepatitis (AIH) is an unresolving hepatocellular inflammation of unknown cause that is characterized by presence of periportal hepatitis on histological examination, tissue antibodies in serum and hypergammaglobulinemia. To study the clinical profile, response to treatment and complication in Iranian children with AIH, that admitted in division of gastroenterology/hepatology, children Hospital of Tabriz University of medical sciences. In descriptive and cross-sectional study, 30 patients with autoimmune hepatitis that admitted in the pediatric hospital from 1997 to 2007 selected and necessary information such as age, sex, clinical signs and symptoms and methods of treatment collected from patients records and evaluated. The descriptive findings were reported as percent of frequency and mean. They followed for three years. Autoimmune hepatitis constituted 5.6% of chronic hepatitis cases. Of 30 children, 28 were girls and 2 were boys. Mean age of patients was 8.4 years (range 3-13 years). The most common type of autoimmune hepatitis was type 1 with 17 patients. Immunosuppressive therapy with prednisolon and Azathioprine was the most common treatment in the patients. Jaundice was the most common presentation symptom of patients with 27 patients. In most patients there was suitable response to immunosuppressive therapy. One patient died and five of them are waiting for liver transplantation. Type I autoimmune hepatitis was the predominant type of autoimmune hepatitis in children. The majority of patients with autoimmune hepatitis presented with liver signs such as jaundice, hepatomegaly and paraclinic findings such as impairment of liver function test. Autoimmune hepatitis was female predominant disease. There was suitable response to immunosuppressive therapy.
T.M. Samad , H.M. Zadeh and O. Mashrabi , 2008. Survey of Autoimmune Hepatitis in Children . Research Journal of Biological Sciences, 3: 238-242.