1. BY: LAUREN VAN DER WOUDE & DEADRA USSERY Autoimmune Hepatitis

2. What is Autoimmune Hepatitis? This disease involves the inflammation if the liver that take place when immune cells mistake the livers normal cells for destructive invaders and proceed to attack them.

3. Autoimmune Diseases Autoimmune hepatitis is an autoimmune disease because the immune system cannot tell the difference between healthy body tissues and harmful body tissues. The result is an immune response that destroys normal body tissues

4. Symptoms Signs and symptoms of autoimmune hepatitis can range from minor to severe and may come on suddenly or develop over time. Some people have few, if any, recognized problems in the early stages of the disease, whereas others experience signs and symptoms that may include…

5. Symptoms (continued) Fatigue Abdominal Discomfort Joint Pain Itching Jaundice Enlarged Liver Spider Angiomas Nausea and Vomiting Loss of Appetite Skin Rashes Dark-colored Urine Loss of Menstruation

6. Treatment The primary treatment for autoimmune hepatitis is to take medicine to slow down an overactive immune system. Autoimmune Hepatitis is treated with daily doses of a corticosteroid called Prednisone.

7. Additional Information… Autoimmune Hepatitis usually occurs in women between the ages of 15 and 40. Autoimmune Hepatitis usually occurs suddenly. At first, you may feel like you have a mild case of the flu. Many people with this disease usually have other autoimmune diseases.

8. Works Cited www.digestive.niddk.nih.gov www.hepatitis-central.com www.liverfoundation.org www.mayoclinic.com www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov