Autoimmune hepatitis is a disease that results in heavy liver damage. It is widely misunderstood when it comes to the causes and the underlying triggers but, by the end of this article, the reader will learn about the background of the disease. Towards the end of the article we will look into recent developments that offer hope to those who suffer from it.
In this disease, the body gets its signal crossed, activates the immune system and puts it in"combat formation" to fight a non-existent enemy. It ends up causing damage to its own liver cells.
Your typical autoimmune hepatitis is chronic, which means that it can last for years, and can lead to cirrhosis and scarring of the liver. The worst case scenario is liver failure. Getting your facts straight will endure this doesn't happen to you.
Who gets autoimmune hepatitis?
Seven out of every ten patients are female. It can start at any age, but most of the time it first sets in during the young adulthood. Scientists are looking into genetic factors in people with autoimmune hepatitis. Some groundbreaking research of the disease have emerged in the last decade offering hop to all people suffering from this aggressive illness.
There is proof that this disease can strike you after a viral or bacterial infection. Also, some medications like antibiotic minocycline and the cholesterol medication atorvastatin have been linked to the disease.
The two types of the disease
All cases are grouped in type 1 and type 2. Type 1 is the most common among adults in North America, while type 2 is far less common and usually occurs in young girls age from 2 to 14.
What are the symptoms of autoimmune hepatitis?
Autoimmune hepatitis is very hard to recognize or even suspect because of the fact that the disease can have a sudden onset after it was "asleep" for a long period of time or its symptoms can gradually worsen over long periods of time. Very often, people have almost no symptoms in the early stages of the disease. The most common symptoms are:
- joint pain
- itching
- yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes
- nausea and vomiting
- fatigue
- abdominal pain
How is autoimmune hepatitis diagnosed?
Two typical means of diagnosis are blood tests and liver biopsy. Blood tests are looking for liver enzyme patterns that are typical for this disease as well as autoantibodies and the liver biopsy is a reliable way to determine just how serious the condition is.
Treatment of autoimmune hepatitis
It is best when the disease is diagnosed early before it makes any permanent damage. Primary treatment options in conventional medicine a corticosteroid Prednisone and Azathioprine. Both medications are used to suppress the overactive immune system and amend some of the damage. The down side of such treatment lies in the fact that it does not cure the disease, it just controls the symptoms. The drugs also have very intense side effects which is why more and more people turn to alternative medicine and holistic treatment options for autoimmune disease.
Autoimmune hepatitis is a mysterious disease because of the lack of knowledge in conventional medicine on the causes of the disease. But, lately, some exciting news has been reported on the discoveries of underlying chemical imbalance and causes. Based on this, a new natural treatment protocol called The Norton Protocol is fashioned with amazing reported success rate that offers hope to all the sufferers. Read more about the news at the home page of the Norton protocol.
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