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Induction of Drug-Induced, Autoimmune Hepatitis in BALB/c Mice for the Study of Its Pathogenic Mechanisms
Published on: May 29, 2020
Prolonged acute hepatitis A mimicking autoimmune hepatitis
Rintaro Mikata1, Osamu Yokosuka, Fumio Imazeki
1Department of Medicine and Clinical Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba 260-8670, Japan.
Aim:
We report a case with a prolonged course of hepatitis A, with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) higher than 500 IU/L for more than 2 mo.
Methods:
A middle-aged woman had an elevated IgG level of more than 2,000 mg/dL, positive anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA) and anti-smooth muscle antibodies (ASMA), but no evidence of persistent hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection. Liver biopsy findings were compatible with prolonged acute hepatitis, although acute onset of autoimmune hepatitis could not be ruled out.
Results:
It was assumed that she developed a course of hepatitis similar to autoimmune hepatitis triggered by HAV infection. Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) treatment was initiated and a favorable outcome was obtained.
Conclusion:
We describe a case of a middle-aged woman who showed a prolonged course of acute hepatitis A mimicking autoimmune hepatitis. Treatment with UDCA proved to be effective.
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